Pakistan govt. admits presence of US marines

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/160043.html


The Pakistani government has admitted before a closed-door meeting of the parliamentary committee on defense that there are US marines in the country.

In November last year, the US media reported that Pakistan military permitted the US soldiers to be stationed in Quetta, the provincial capital of Baluchistan province which borders both Afghanistan and Iran.

In the past, the US even indicated it wanted to expand the drone attacks to the south western parts of Pakistan, where the Americans claim Taliban's top leadership operate under the name of Quetta Shora or Council.

Nothing was made public about the parliamentary committee's proceedings during which the government made this disclosure.

But some members of the committee agreed to share the details.

Senator Khurshid Ahmed, who is the leader of Pakistan's main Islamic parties-the Jamaat-e-Islami, is the one who brought up this issue in the Parliament.

He says Pakistan should expel the US marines because they are a threat to both the country and the region at large.

Another member of the committee and the leader of the Awami National Party, the coalition partner of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, was cautious in his reaction to the revelation.

Experts say the presence of US marines can further whip up anti-American sentiments in the country, as the tempers are already high among the public over the killing of civilians in the tribal areas by the American drone strikes.

Despite our repeated attempts, no one from the Pakistani government was willing to talk about the issue, as making a public statement on the presence of US marines in the country would trigger a serious public backlash.