The Pakistani government has vowed to block any attack on the major city of Quetta by the United States, following persistent reports that the Obama Administration last week threatened to move against the city if Pakistan did not tackle the so-called “Quetta Shura,” a group of leaders of the ousted Afghan government which have allegedly taken up residence in the city.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik challenged the Obama Administration to provide some evidence for their charges, and said the Pakistani government would be happy to move against the group if the US did so. At the same time, he insisted their own intelligence suggests that the Quetta Shura does not exist.

The prospective US attack has risen considerable consternation among Pakistanis, already resentful of the growing American influence over their nation’s policies. Officials have suggested the attack could not only include attacks from CIA drones, but ground troops as well.

The US has alleged that Mullah Omar, the former leader of Afghanistan, is among those hiding in Quetta, though Malik says he believes Omar is actually in the Afghan city of Kandahar.