Pakistani army officer held on banned-group ties
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's army has detained a brigadier who served at the military branch's general headquarters outside of the capital city for suspected links to a banned group, a senior Pakistani government official told CBS News Tuesday.
News of the detention of a senior officer renewed concerns that militant outfits fighting the country's security forces have penetrated important segments of the army, a western diplomat based in Islamabad said."This is a matter of great concern if you have such a high-ranking official taken in for questioning on his links to a banned group, which could be an Islamic militant outfit," the western diplomat told CBS News on condition of anonymity.
The report comes as concerns remain high in Washington over elements of Pakistan's security forces working in opposition to the country's stated policy of fighting Islamic hardliners linked to al Qaeda and the Taliban.
Special Section: The Killing of Osama Bin Laden
The U.S. Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden May 2 in Pakistan's northern city of Abbottabad was undertaken without advance notice by the United States to Pakistani officials, mainly over concerns that sympathetic individuals in Pakistan's security establishment may have alerted bin Laden.
(President Obama talked in-depth with "60 Minutes" correspondent Steve Kroft about the killing of Osama bin Laden days after the military's successful attack.)
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Relations between the United States and Pakistan's army as well as the army-run Inter-Services Intelligence agency have sunk to an unprecedented low since the attack on bin Laden. Pakistan has significantly scaled down its intelligence cooperation with the United States, claiming that the attack without prior consultation with Pakistan infringed upon the country's sovereignty.
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"The report of this particular arrest of a brigadier will only reinforce the fears that already run high in the western world," the diplomat said.
The Pakistani government official who confirmed the arrest under condition of anonymity said, "We all recognize there is a very difficult situation, but our entire country cannot be painted with the same brush. Most Pakistanis are not sympathetic to militants and our top leaders are all united in confronting the militant threat."