CIA created Haqqani network during Soviet occupation: Pak

From Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Sep 26 (PTI) Pakistan's Interior Minister
Rehman Malik has contended that the US should share the blame
for the rise of the Haqqani network as the CIA created the
Taliban faction during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan
and trained its members.
"The Haqqani network was trained and produced by the
CIA," he said. The group did not originate in Pakistan and the
US should not now speak about "things which happened 20 years
ago", he told reporters during an interaction here Sunday.
However, he acknowledged that Pakistan had helped the CIA
during the war against Soviet forces in Afghanistan in the
1980s.
The Haqqani network is now present in Afghanistan and
"those claiming otherwise should give evidence of its presence
in Pakistan," Malik claimed. "We will fight the terrorists as
our forces are capable of handling them and countering any
challenge," he said.
Malik was responding to accusations by top American
officials that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence had
supported the Haqqani network for carrying out a string of
attacks, including one on the US Embassy in Kabul.
He said Pakistan had never blamed the CIA or Afghanistan
directly for several attacks in Mohmand tribal region or other
areas. "The nefarious designs of external elements will be
foiled," he said. Malik called for a strong immigration system
at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
The government is determined to eliminate terrorism, he
said. "Any aggression from outside or mischievous activity
from inside will not be tolerated. The sovereignty of Pakistan
will never be compromised and everyone will stand with the
Pakistan Army and law enforcement agencies to counter any
challenge," he added.