Clerics council to decide Osama's fate today

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, SEPT. 17. The Taliban chief, Mullah Mohammad Omar, announced today that he would let a grand council of clerics decide the fate of Osama bin Laden tomorrow, even as the Pakistani team which went to Kandahar decided to extend its stay to continue negotiations with the Taliban on the U.S. demand for extradition of the Saudi fugitive.

According to Radio Shariat, run by the Taliban, 20 senior Mullahs would decide on Osama's extradition. It appears that the Pakistani team had left Kandahar for Kabul, where the grand council is scheduled to meet tomorrow.

Sources told The Hindu that the Pakistani delegation, which traveled to Afghanistan in the morning, had decided to stay after the Taliban authorities expressed a desire to continue negotiations. ``The delegation after its meeting with the Taliban chief, Mullah Omar, was about to return to Islamabad around 6 p.m. when word came from the Taliban authorities that they wished to continue with the discussions,'' a senior Pakistani official said.

At the end of the first round of talks, a Taliban spokesman was quoted as saying by the Afghan Islamic Press, a private news agency based in Peshawar, that the militia was hopeful about the outcome. The spokesman, Mr. Abdul Hai Mutmaen, was quoted as saying that ``the talks are positive but I cannot go into the specifics. At the moment we are 60 per cent hopeful that the situation will become normal.''

However, another report circulated by the same agency quoted him as saying that the Pakistani delegation had not succeeded in persuading Mullah Omar.

That the Pakistan team has extended its stay is a positive sign. There are no indications though that the Taliban has relented from its stand of not handing over Osama until ``credible and conclusive proof'' of his alleged involvement in terrorist activities is provided.

A statement by the Pakistani Foreign Office said the delegation, led by the ISI chief, Lt. Gen. Mahmood Ahmed, and which includes senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, carried a special message from the President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, for Mullah Omar. G>It said that the delegation would impress upon the Afghan leadership the gravity of the situation following the attacks in the U.S. and what was expected of them by the international community. The delegation would urge the Taliban ``to act in the interest of the safety and security'' of the Afghan people. In other words, a polite message would be conveyed to the Taliban to hand over Osama or be prepared for massive retaliation by the U.S. and allies.

The statement said Gen. Musharraf had repeatedly condemned terrorism and had denounced the recent attacks, in which thousand of lives, including those of many Pakistanis, were lost. He had also made it clear that Pakistan would work with the international community in combating terrorism.The Foreign Minister, Mr. Abdul Sattar, in an interview to CNN, said that the Pakistan delegation would urge the Taliban government to act responsibly. ``Pakistan has always sought to give correct counsel. We have always emphasised in the past that it is important for Afghanistan and its people that the government should act in conformity with international law.''

Another report quoted Mr. Sattar as saying that time was running out for the Taliban and that the U.S. had no ``patience for arguments''.

In another development, Mr. Sattar clarified that Gen. Musharraf had not yet scheduled visits to China, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

Pakistan contradicted a report by an international news agency that the Taliban was stationing troops on its border with Pakistan. The report claimed that the Taliban had dumped a huge quantity of Scud missiles along the Durand Line. ``The news is baseless and concocted,'' a Pakistan military spokesman said.

`U.S. agents arrive'

AFP, UNI report:

The U.S. had already deployed up to 50 agents, including some from the special forces, in Pakistan, Western and Pakistani sources, said. The majority of the agents arrived on Thursday and Friday when the Islamabad airport was closed mysteriously for five hours, the sources said.

The Americans are involved in advance liaison work and the selection of Pakistani officers to work with them in preparation for possible military operations in or against neighbouring Afghanistan. They are also carrying out research, notably on the feasibility of getting troops into Afghanistan.

Some of the Americans had gone to Quetta, in southwestern Pakistan, and Peshawar in the northwest. Both cities are close to the border with Afghanistan.

Border sealed

Pakistan sealed its borders at Torkham, near Peshawar, after the entry of about 20,000 Afghans into the country during the past 24 hours. The decision follows rising tension between Afghanistan, the U.S. and the rest of the world.

According to a report from Quetta, the border at Chaman was also closed.

Taliban officials fleeing?

Reuters reports from Kabul:

Taliban officials have started to flee Kabul amid growing expectations of U.S. attacks, witnesses said today.

Taliban officials and their families were seen heading out of the city for the countryside, but it was not clear if this was under instruction from Mullah Omar, they said. Those fleeing appeared mainly to be junior commanders and officials. The majority of the leadership is based in Kandahar.

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