Pakistan to review cooperation with US

Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani (R) chairing a meeting of Defence Committee of Cabinet in Islamabad

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/179635.html

Pakistan says it will review its counter-terrorism cooperation with the US over the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

The move comes after growing domestic pressure to punish Washington for the violation of Pakistan's sovereignty, AFP reported.

Pakistan's Cabinet Defense Committee, headed by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, condemned the US action on Thursday.

In an official statement, the committee decided, "to institute an inter-agency process to clearly define the parameters of our cooperation with the US in counter-terrorism...in accordance with Pakistan's national interests and the aspirations of the people."

The bin Laden raid has put Pakistan's top leaders on shaky grounds. Opposition parties had earlier called on President Asif Ali Zardari and Gilani to resign over the attack.

Washington claims its special forces killed Osama bin Laden in the attack on May 2 without informing Islamabad. CIA chief Leon Panetta said the US did not inform Pakistani authorities about the raid since they feared Islamabad might disrupt the mission.

The chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee is slated to visit Islamabad early next week. Senator John Kerry says he hopes to resolve issues surrounding the operation against the al-Qaeda leader.

Since 2002, the US has provided Pakistan with approximately 20 billion dollars in aid, with two-thirds in the form of military support for so-called counter-terrorism operations along the Afghan border.