Egypt has told Pakistan that no Pakistani national was involved in the weekend’s deadly Red Sea resort bombings, Cairo’s embassy in Islamabad said on Tuesday.
Ambassador Hussein Haridy had ”informed the Pakistani government late last [Monday] night that no Pakistani national was involved in the terrorist acts that rocked Sharm el-Sheikh late last Saturday”, an embassy statement said.
”The ambassador of Egypt added that at no time did the Egyptian government accuse Pakistanis of involvement in these attacks,” said the statement.
Cairo police had earlier said they were searching for several Pakistani nationals in relation to the bombings that killed scores of people at the weekend in the popular resort.
Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf, who has come under Western pressure to stamp out extremism following the London bombings, on Monday denied al-Qaeda could have planned the latest attacks from Pakistani soil.
Musharraf said his security forces have largely dismantled Osama bin Laden’s network within Pakistan, and al-Qaeda has become an international ”phenomenon” and a ”state of mind”.
Pakistan’s state-run APP news agency on Tuesday quoted the Egyptian ambassador as saying Cairo never officially pointed the finger at Pakistan over the latest attacks.
”I would like to underline the fact that the Egyptian government yesterday [Monday] had not accused any Pakistanis and not issued any statement dealing with suspicion of involvement with the blasts,” he said.
”What we were dealing with yesterday was media reports.”
Haridy reportedly said Cairo is concerned that the reports may ”damage” relations between the two countries, which are on a strong footing.
”We will continue to cooperate with Pakistan and other countries in the fight on terror,” he reportedly told APP.
The ambassador praised Pakistan which, he said, is playing a leading role in the ongoing war against international terrorism.
”Pakistan has paid a heavy price,” he told APP. ”We support Pakistan and wish the country success in the fight against terrorism.” — Sapa-AFP