As the Bush Administration began to take stock of its friends and enemies after the attacks of September 11, Judicial Watch labeled nations with ties to terrorism as enemies. Saudi Arabia, for example, produced 15 out of the 19 hijackers, yet was considered by the U.S. government to be an ally. Judicial Watch called upon the Bush Administration to treat Saudi Arabia as the enemy it has proven to be.

Now, Judicial Watch is calling to question another "friend" to the United States, Pakistan, by filing FOIA requests with the State Department and Department of Defense.

Evidence indicates that Pakistan is now providing a safe haven for Osama bin Laden, the terrorist President Bush wanted "dead or alive." While Pakistani President Musharraf publicly supports the U.S. led war on terror, the fact remains that only two al Qaeda notables, Abu Zubayah and the recently arrested Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, have been captured by Pakistani security forces. Furthermore, on December 31, 2002, the U.S. was forced to call in an F-16 to drop a 500-pound bomb on the Pakistanis after Pakistani troops instigated a firefight with the U.S. military on the Afghan border.

The Pakistani problem extends far beyond its questionable participation in the war on terrorism and al Qaeda, however. Judicial Watch has learned that Pakistan has been helping the North Koreans with the design for gas centrifuges and the machinery it needs to make enriched uranium in exchange for missile technology and parts from Pyongyang. In July 2002, the CIA reportedly detected a Pakistani aircraft taking on a cargo of ballistic missile parts at a North Korean airfield. And finally, a January 1999 report concluded that the father of Pakistan¹s nuclear weapons program offered to help Iraq develop a nuclear weapon on the eve of the first Gulf War.

"Pakistan is clearly providing support to enemies of the United States including North Korea and al Qaeda," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "The Administration must put more pressure on Pakistan to behave appropriately or be placed on the list of nations who are Œagainst us.¹"

JW has filed a Freedom of Information Act request with various agencies to find out why the U.S. government is treating Pakistan with “kid gloves.”