‘Army does not take orders from Zawahri’

ISLAMABAD: A military spokesman on Friday sneered at a message purportedly from Al Qaeda calling for the overthrow of President Pervez Musharraf, describing it as “absurd,” AFP reported.

The tape calls on the Pakistani military “not to obey orders” and overthrow Musharraf’s military dictatorship. “Pakistan’s military does not get orders from him (Al Zawahri) so it is absolutely absurd,” military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan said.

The Foreign Office in its reaction said people of Pakistan supported the government’s efforts to root out terrorism, APP reported. “The Government of Pakistan will not be intimidated by such threats,” Foreign Office spokesman Masood A Khan said in an interview with a TV channel. He said the authenticity of the tape was not established yet.

Staff Report adds: Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed condemned as “mischievous” the purported statement by Al Zawahri. “We strongly condemn this statement against Pakistan, the president and the armed forces and cannot allow any foreign elements to create dissensions in Pakistani society,” he added. Mr Ahmed said the Army would remain in South Waziristan until all foreign terrorists were flushed out. “The government has already announced an amnesty for those who choose to surrender and disarm themselves,” Mr Ahmed told a press briefing.

‘Tape authentic’: The CIA has concluded that an audiotape attributed to Al Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahri calling for the overthrow of President Musharraf is probably authentic, a US official said on Friday, AFP reported. “After we did the technical analysis, we assessed that the voice on the tape is likely Zawahri,” the official said.

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