[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 17848-17849]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             PAKISTAN REMAINS BREEDING GROUND FOR TERRORISM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, although Pakistan has become a key U.S. 
ally in the war against terrorism, it is still known to be a staging 
ground for terrorism, and I have serious concerns that unless the 
Pakistani Government is able to crack down on their militant-infested 
borders, we will never be able to capture Osama bin Laden and his 
associates and bring them to justice.
  General Musharraf has been praised as an important ally in the war 
against terrorism, giving the impression that he and his government 
share the U.S. perception about terrorism being a shared threat.
  However, he is only willing to fight terrorists affiliated with al 
Qaeda to the extent of securing U.S. assistance and worldly praise. He 
is still unwilling to clamp down on jihadi groups within Pakistan's 
borders that may or may not be connected with al Qaeda but are still a 
part of the bigger problem.
  In addition, U.S. officials have been saying for some time that Osama 
bin Laden is believed to be in the Pakistan-Afghani border area. In 
fact, every senior al Qaeda leader who has been captured since 
September 11, 2001, has been run to the ground in Pakistan. Ironically, 
Pakistan is also where al Qaeda was founded by bin Laden in 1988.
  The premise that bin Laden is hiding out in Pakistan has great 
substance. There are thousands of U.S. and international troops inside 
neighboring Afghanistan, but none are able to go into Pakistan.
  That is because the government does not allow foreign troops on its 
territory. So bin Laden is safe from U.S. forces because they cannot 
actively pursue him, and yet Pakistan must make a concerted effort to 
find him either.
  Madam Speaker, to make things worse, Pakistan has signed a truce 
recently with militants in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region, an 
area that is believed to be harboring bin Laden and other al Qaeda 
surviving leadership. It is also where the Taliban originally emerged.
  The agreement allows the militants to remain in the area as long as 
they promise to halt attacks. Now considering the recent size and 
strength of the Taliban insurgency and the increased violence in 
Afghanistan, this pledge is unlikely to be met.
  Deaths in the region have climbed over the past few months, and the 
area lacks any significant government authority. What's more, how can 
Pakistan ensure these militants will follow through on this agreement 
without any

[[Page 17849]]

substantial pressure? The record is abominable, and there is nothing 
holding them to their word.
  Madam Speaker, the U.S. must proceed with caution with Pakistan. Even 
though it has helped capture some of the al Qaeda leadership, these 
efforts are nothing more than superficial attempts at camaraderie. The 
fact remains Pakistan cannot be wholly trusted as a legitimate 
supporter of U.S. goals and interests in South Asia until it 
proactively disarms all militias and dismantles the jihad 
infrastructure.
  They must also either actively seek out bin Laden and his associates 
or allow the U.S. forces to do so. They need to distinguish between 
simply assisting the U.S. war on terrorism and truly defending the 
world's freedom against terrorism.

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