Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on Wednesday the Haqqanis were a product of the Afghan war with the Soviet Union and were “sons of the soil”.
Malik made the remarks while speaking to reporters after a meeting with US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Robert Mueller.
The minister said that he had assured Mueller that the Haqqanis were not present on the Pakistani side, but if the US shared some intelligence in this regard, the country’s law enforcement agencies would take action against the network. Earlier, the meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere and matters of bilateral relations, extradition and exchange of information on terrorists came under discussion. The two officials also discussed ways and means to further enhance cooperation in the war against terrorism. The FBI director praised Pakistan’s role and sacrifices made in the war against terrorism and invited Malik to visit the US.
According to sources, Muller and Malik also discussed the progress of the investigation into the Mumbai attacks.
