According to the BBC, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has questioned Pakistan’s failure to capture senior al-Qaeda leaders.

It reports that Mrs Clinton said in an interview with journalists in Lahore she found it “hard to believe” nobody in the government knew where they were.

Mrs Clinton has been in Pakistan for two days trying to strengthen ties with the government, shore up the fight against militants and tackle rising anti-US feelings among the Pakistani people, says the BBC.

The BBC goes on to say that in an interview with the journalists she was asked why Pakistan was seen as the centre of terrorism and why other nations could not do more in the fight against it. We often say, ‘yes, there needs to be more focus on finding these leaders’ said US Ambassador Anne Patterson, it said.

Mrs Clinton said: “The world has an interest in seeing the capture and killing of the people who are the masterminds of this terrorist syndicate. As far as we know, they are in Pakistan.”

“Al-Qaeda has had safe haven in Pakistan since 2002… I find it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where they are and couldn’t get them if they really wanted to”, the BBC quotes her as saying.

Well Mrs. Clinton you are right. And you do know the answer. Good for you for finally setting out the facts. But tell us the whole truth. You and the Pakistani military and intelligence know more than you say. You know – and I know – that the key Taliban leaders, including Mullah Omar, safely reside on the outskirts of Quetta, a provincial capital in Pakistan down the highway from Kandahar across the border to the north. If you can’t figure it out give me a call. It is not that hard to find where they are. Just ask a Quetta taxi driver. It requires only a motorized vehicle to go to their homes on the outskirts of the city.

The Taliban presence in Quetta has been confirmed by members of the Taliban itself. In early 2007, CBC reported that Mohammad Hanif, 26, a Taliban spokesman arrested by Afghan security forces near the border with Pakistan, said when he was questioned by Afghan intelligence service agents that Omar is in Pakistan. A video CD of his interrogation was given to reporters.

“He lives in Quetta,” Hanif said on the video, referring to Omar. “He is protected by ISI, (the Pakistan Intelligence Service)” Hanif said in a quiet voice, referring to the acronym of the Pakistani spy agency.

Quetta, by the way, is not some inaccessible mountain tribal town. Airbus flights provide regular service in and out. The highway is a good usable transportation link to the rest of Pakistan.

The fact is the Taliban leaders are coddled by the Pakistan security forces, who are linked by all kinds of nefarious arrangements to the Taliban and al Qaeda forces. Why continue this silly dance? Why do our soldiers keep getting killed while world leaders play these silly word games? Why not deal with them? Some things are not that hard. This is one of them.

Sadly this is not a failure of the elected government of Pakistan, at least not directly. It has its origins with the army dictator Mushraff. The Pakistan army and intelligence services are riddled with al Qaeda and Taliban supporters and commanders. They are the biggest threat to a democratic and stable government in Pakistan, the Afghanistan undertaking and the fight against terrorism. One hopes that the US army and the CIA are not implicated, thus in part explaining the inaction. Regardless, it is time this problem was dealt with honestly. It is time to clear away all of the sleazy deals and clandestine arrangements. Perhaps Hillary Clinton has started that process. We’ll see.