Washington, May 14: Appreciating the steps being taken by Pakistan against Al Qaeda and its extremist allies,US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that Islamabad needs to do more in this regard as she fears the consequences of a successful attack that can be traced back to Pakistan. “We think that there’s more that has to be done. And we do fear the consequences of a successful attack that can be traced back to Pakistan, because we value a more comprehensive relationship. So we do expect more,” Clinton said
Referring to the strategic relationship being developed with Pakistan, Clinton said: “The fact that we have expanded our interactions far beyond the counter-terrorism agenda which was basically what we inherited, that we are focused on trying to create a broader and deeper understanding between our two countries and that we have gone quite a distance in creating a better atmosphere.
federal agents have arrested three people from Pakistan suspected of providing money, possibly by the hawala system, to Times Square car bombing’s Pakistani American accused Faisal Shazad.
Meanwhile US arrests three Pakistani for giving money to Shahzad
Two of the Pakistani suspects were picked up Thursday in the Boston area and the third in Maine for immigration violations, officials said. Federal agents were also executing search warrants in connection with the Times Square probe in New York and New Jersey.
Law enforcement sources said that investigators have determined that Shahzad used the informal hawala courier system popular in South Asia and the Middle East and often used by terrorists and criminals to conceal the flow of money without raising red flags.
But Clinton also expressed concern over the recent attacks. “We are concerned about the recent attack and other efforts that thankfully have not been successful,” she said.
“We’ve been encouraged by the way that the Pakistani government and military has, in this past year, been much more willing to go after the terrorists who are not only threatening outsiders but threatening them: the military actions, you know, in Swat and Waziristan,” she said.
In an apparent reference to the Times Square bomb attempt, in which investigation has revealed the involvement of Pakistani Taliban, Clinton said the investigation is going well between the investigative bodies of Pakistan and the
United States.
So this is a matter of great concern to the American people and to our government. But we think that the concern is being reciprocated on the part of Pakistan,” Clinton said.
–Agencies