Pakistan says foreign intervention an 'Enemy Act'

Islamabad, 2008 Jan 16, Al-Manar
 
Pakistan's foreign ministry warned Wednesday that any unauthorized military strike by international forces against Al-Qaeda militants on Pakistani soil would be considered an "enemy act."
 
The warning came days after President Pervez Musharraf, a key US ally, said in a newspaper interview that an incursion by the US-led coalition in Afghanistan without permission would be treated as an invasion.

Growing militancy in Pakistan's tribal areas has raised concerns in the United States, with reports that Washington is considering giving the Pentagon and the CIA new authority to conduct covert operations.
 
"Without Pakistan's permission, without Pakistan's involvement, any action by a foreign government on Pakistan's territory will be an enemy act," foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Sadiq told a weekly briefing.

Sadiq said Pakistan welcomed any international help in the fight against terrorism, but would not allow foreign troops to take direct action on its territory, he said.
 
"We have cooperation with the international community in (the) war on terror and in... intelligence sharing, training, technical cooperation and provision of equipment and armament," he said. "So that is the area of cooperation, where we allow the international community to help us and support us because that facilitates our war on terror."
  
US military chief Admiral Michael Mullen last week expressed "grave concern" over Al-Qaeda's use of the Pakistani tribal areas as safe havens, saying they posed a "significant" security threat to Afghanistan and Pakistan itself.