U.S. urges Pakistan to ban group suspected of hijack link

January 26, 2000
Web posted at: 6:51 a.m. HKT (2251 GMT)

In this story: Clinton: No evidence Pakistan backed hijacking 'Grave concern about terrorism' RELATED STORIES, SITES

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Clinton administration officials have urged Pakistan's new military leader, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, to ban a militant group which the United States believes had "some responsibility" for the hijacking of an Indian Airlines jet in December.

The request for banning Harkat ul-Mujahedeen (HUM) came when U.S. officials met with Musharraf last week in Islamabad.

"We made our message known," explained a senior U.S. State Department official among those at the meeting. Musharraf "did not respond but said he'd consider this ... leaving the impression that action could be taken soon."

	MESSAGE BOARD
India-Pakistan relations

Another senior U.S. official at the meeting explained that Musharraf "recognizes there is the problem of fundamentalist groups within Pakistan that are posing threats to the stability of the region." The official added that Musharraf "is under the gun ... he has multiple crises facing him and he's trying to address them all."

Clinton: No evidence Pakistan backed hijacking

At the same time, U.S. officials are taking strong issue with a report in The New York Times Tuesday, headlined "U.S. Says Pakistan Backed Hijackers of Indian Jetliner."

"We do not have evidence that the Pakistani government was in any way responsible for that hijacking," President Clinton told reporters.

"Agencies of the Pakistani government (military and intelligence services) have provided support to a number of groups active in Kashmiri resistance, including the HUM," but that doesn't necessarily mean there is a direct link between HUM, the Indian Airlines hijacking and the Pakistan government, an administration official said.

'Grave concern about terrorism'

U.S. officials said last week's meeting with Musharraf focused on terrorism, Pakistan's return to democracy and non-proliferation.

The United States expressed "grave concern about terrorism stemming from this region," said a senior State Department official. "We hope Pakistan will take steps against groups that carry out acts of violence and we told Pakistan we believe their presence gives Pakistan a bad reputation."

When asked whether the United States was considering adding Pakistan to Washington's list of state supporters of terrorism, a senior U.S. official refused to answer directly, but insisted that "we always have the list under review."

U.S. officials say they had planned an announcement Tuesday about President Clinton's expected trip to India in late March, but a winter snowstorm in Washington has delayed the announcement until later this week. Officials were reluctant to rule out a presidential trip to Pakistan, insisting no decision has been made.

State Department Correspondent Andrea Koppel and National Security Correspondent David Ensor contributed to this report.