Islamabad: US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca has denied reports that she planned to meet the leaders of Pakistan's pro-Taleban and anti-American, Islamist alliance Muthahida Majlis Amal (MMA) during her current visit to Islamabad.

"There is no such plan, I just don't have the time," Rocca told reporters at a reception hosted by the US Ambassador Nancy Powell at her residence on December 16 evening.

Rocca also dismissed reports that she planned to visit to Peshawar to meet Akram Durrani, the Chief Minister of the MMA government in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP), which borders Afghanistan.

Asked about the reports from Washington that she would be meeting the MMA leaders during her stay in Islamabad, she said "Washington does not know about it."

Local daily 'Dawn' reported that prior to Rocca's arrival at the reception, the US Embassy press officials went around telling journalists that the reports on Rocca's plans to meet MMA leaders were incorrect and also made veiled suggestions that the reports had been wrongly fed by the Pakistan Embassy in Washington.

Rocca's firm stand to not meet MMA leaders makes it clear that US has decided to adopt an equally hard-line stance against the Islamist alliance, which soon after the Oct 10 general elections demanded the withdrawal of US forces from the four airbases in Pakistan and flayed Musharraf regime for having close ties with US.

PTI