ISLAMABAD: The western and especially the US media are out to distort Pakistan’s image through cooked up and concocted stories and twisting interviews of the Pakistani leaders.

“No consent has been given to the US for raids inside Pakistan by the president, and the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination has always been supported by President Asif Zardari,” Information Minister Sherry Rehman said while emphatically denouncing the story carried by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) the other day as misleading report and added quotes have been incorporated in the story that have disturbed the people of Pakistan to a great extent.

While commenting on the question of free trade relations with India, President Asif Zardari made it clear that India had not been a threat to Pakistan (in this regard) but the report appearing in the WSJ transformed the whole context of the statement.

Giving her official reaction to the reported interview, Sherry Rehman said on Monday the president has not given any consent to the US or the allied forces to carry out strikes inside Pakistan, and that the government is firmly committed to extending moral and diplomatic support to the just cause of Kashmiris.

“What the president has been consistently saying is that if the coalition forces see any evidence of cross-border activity then that actionable intelligence should be shared with Pakistan immediately so that we can take action on the ground. At all forums the president has clearly asked all allies and forces to respect Pakistan’s territorial integrity. At no point will President Zardari or this government compromise on Pakistan’s sovereignty,” she said.

Sherry said President Zardari’s visit to the US was a major success as the president effectively communicated to the global community Pakistan’s position on the war on terror as well as respect for its own territorial integrity. She said President Zardari took the international community on board on issues pertaining to the scourge of militancy and extremism in Pakistan and on the significance of supporting Pakistan’s efforts to fight terrorism.

The minister said the president strongly conveyed to the international community the need for a joint counter-terrorism strategy, and for Pakistan’s allies to respond to its military and strategic requirements for fighting terrorism.

“Unilateral actions by the US often serve as a setback to our joint efforts against terrorism,” she said. “Rather, as the president has said, they create a negative impact on Pakistan’s position on terrorism and turn the tide in favour of militancy.”

Commenting on statements in the WSJ article attributed to President Asif Ali Zardari on the issue of Kashmir, Sherry said the president has made it very clear that the just cause of Kashmir and its struggle for self-determination has been a consistent central position of the PPP for the last forty years.

“There has been no change in this policy,” said the minister. “The president has never called the legitimate struggle of Kashmiris an expression of terrorism, nor has he downplayed the sufferings of the Kashmiris. All his statements on India should be viewed in the context of Pakistan’s current bilateral relations with that country.”

She pointed to the ongoing Pakistan-India composite peace dialogue and several confidence-building measures as an example of the warming up of bilateral relations between the two countries. “However,” she said, “our efforts for peace with India will not be traded off with our principled stand on Kashmir.”

The obnoxious remarks attributed to President Zardari are not only out of context but they have been formulated in a way that seem to be violating Pakistan’s known and well established policy on the subjects. The whole story in question is full of allegations and accusations against Pakistan.

The story that was based on a breakfast meeting with the editorial board of the newspaper appeared to be a pack of lies and fiction. Political observers also referred to the robust presence of anti-Pakistan element in the particular newspaper that had always been supportive of the Indian position editorially.

President Zardari’s media managers are likely to take up the question of authenticity of the report with the administration of the newspaper and are expected to lodge protest about the contents of the report.

AFP adds: Information Minister Sherry Rehman denied on Monday that Pakistan had struck a deal allowing US missile strikes against militants on its soil, after a report quoted the country’s president as saying there was an “understanding”.

The Wall Street Journal said President Asif Ali Zardari had indicated that Islamabad had an agreement with the United States giving permission for a string of air strikes in Pakistan’s tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

Sherry Rehman also specifically denied that Pakistan had given permission for the ground attack on September 3.

“The government and president have repeatedly said that only Pakistan’s forces can undertake any ground attack on our side of the border. It does not mean that foreign forces should come here,” Sherry said.