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U.S. rejects Pak. claim
By Sridhar Krishnaswami
WASHINGTON, FEB. 11. The Bush administration does not believe that India has had a hand in the kidnapping of the reporter of The Wall Street Journal as suggested by the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, in a recent interview.
``The State Department officials initially praised Musharraf's assistance in looking for Pearl. But his recent comments alleging that India might have played a role in Pearl's disappearance have deeply irritated U.S. officials,'' a report in USA Today says.
``Washington believes India had no role in the Pearl's kidnapping and also worries that Musharraf's comments could re- ignite India-Pakistan tensions,'' the report says. It also adds that the abduction of The Wall Street Journal's reporter will have an impact on Gen. Musharraf's visit to the U.S. beginning tomorrow.
Senior Indian officials and Ministers have been critical of the manner in which Islamabad has responded to events in India related to terrorism. For instance the Home Minister, L.K. Advani, on a recent visit to Washington, pointed out on more than one occasion Islamabad's desperate attempts to turn the attack on the Indian Parliament on December 13 as something orchestrated by Indian intelligence agencies - a similar theme now being repeated by Gen. Musharraf vis-a-vis the kidnapping of Mr. Daniel Pearl.
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