Pak's contribution in Al-Qaeda arrests should be acknowledged: Envoy Bashir

New Delhi, Aug 20 (ANI): Pakistan's High Commissioner to India, Salman Bashir, has said the world should acknowledge Pakistan's contribution in facilitating the arrests of several Al-Qaeda followers, instead of 'picking on' the country.

"If 40-plus nations with their most sophisticated technology could not trace Taliban leader Mullah Omar, why pick on Pakistan? What is not so well known or is not projected is Pakistan's contribution in arresting most of the Al-Qaeda men. Abbottabad was not embarrassing but the grudge was that we could have done it together," The Dawn quoted Bashir, as saying.

"Even the lead that led to Osama's discovery was given by Pakistan. What we have been saying is that if the operation is on our territory, then it should be done jointly," he added.

"Osama and the likes of him were never created by Pakistan or Afghanistan. There is a history and a context to the making of Osama bin Laden. In a zeal to portray Pakistan as a demon, we tend to believe anything. It is in the interest of the region and the international community as a whole to be objective about Pakistan's contribution in the campaign against terror," Bashir further said.

Bashir described Pakistan's relationship with U.S. at present as "sound, good, cooperative and moving in the right direction". (ANI)