US denies move to brand Pakistan terrorist state

WASHINGTON: Pakistan has banned the Jamat-ud-Dawah for its own interest and not because it was warned by the Bush administration that it stood to be branded as a terrorist state, the US has said.

State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack was asked to clarify a statement by Pakistan's Defence Minister that Islamabad had to ban the Jamaat because if that hadn't happened, it would have been branded a terrorist state.

"Is that the message the US has sent out?" McCormack was asked.

"No," he replied."... Pakistan did this because it saw it in its interest. As we have said many, many times over, the threat from violent extremists is as much a threat to Pakistani people and the Pakistani government as it is to anybody else. All that said, it's a welcome step that they took," he said.

"This is a day-by-day process, and it's something that requires vigilance every single day, fighting terrorism," he said making the point that at no time was there any talk of branding Pakistan as a terrorist state.

He said the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan are also likely to be touched upon by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice when she visits the United Nations next week for discussion on a range of issues including Zimbabwe and piracy.