Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to work more closely to combat terrorism
ISLAMABAD: President General Pervez Musharraf returned home Thursday
after a two-day visit to Afghanistan during which Islamabad and Kabul
decided to further intensify cooperation and coordination in the fight
against the common threat of terrorism and extremism and to work to
remove any misgivings between them.
President Musharraf, who led a high-level delegation to Kabul at the
invitation of his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai, on the second day of
his visit addressed an impressive gathering of former Afghan Presidents,
Speaker of Senate, cabinet ministers, parliamentarians, members of the
Supreme Court, Defence Commission, high-ranking army and police
officials and elite of the city.
In his an hour-long address, the President underscored the need for the
two countries to stop suspecting each other and join hands to fight a
common enemy.
He traced the current situation in the region back to the turmoil 27
years ago in the wake of Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan.
The President stressed that the two countries must leave the past behind
and work towards a better future for the mutual benefit of their people.
On the issue of cross-border infiltration, President Musharraf said that
people in Pakistan also had concerns and they blame that some foreign
country was interfering in Pakistan through Afghanistan.
President Musharraf categorically declared that the government would not
allow anyone to use Pakistan's soil against Afghanistan and said
Islamabad does not interfere in the neighbour's internal affairs.
The President said he and President Karzai have decided to look into all
the allegations with sincerity and address these complaints.
Reaffirming Islamabad's strong desire to see peace, progress and
stability in Afghanistan, he said Pakistan helped the country in holding
peaceful presidential and parliamentary elections and was doing its best
within its resources to assist reconstruction efforts.
President Karzai in his remarks appreciated President's candid analysis
of the situation in the region and said his country did not blame the
Pakistan government, but was only asking for its support to counter
terrorists.
He thanked Pakistan for hosting millions of refugees for years and said
his country would ever remain grateful for this support.
The Afghan President said that interest of the Afghan people lies in
peace and brotherhood with Pakistan.
"We in Afghanistan recognize the need of the closest of relations with
Pakistan," he added.
On Pakistan's concern over the Afghan territory being used against it,
President Karzai reiterated his pledge not to allow anyone to use
Afghanistan soil against Pakistan.
He also expressed his happiness over the signing of peace treaty in
North Waziristan.
President Musharraf called for an end to the blame game between Pakistan
and Afghanistan and said both countries must work to remove their
weaknesses and consolidate on their strength to defeat terrorism.
"The blame game has to stop on both sides, if we want to have peace,
harmony and progress, and we must trust each other," he said and added
that both countries needed to understand each other's point of view.
"When we do this in sincere manner with our hearts and minds, we will
succeed," he added.
Referring to Pakistan's efforts to see peace in Afghanistan and the
support in their reconstruction efforts, President Musharraf said it
saddened him and the Pakistani people when their country was blamed for
every happening in Afghanistan.
In this context, President Musharraf also referred to suggestions of
fencing and mining the Pak-Afghan border Pakistan had made in the past
to check illegal cross-border movement.
He recalled that Pakistan has deployed over 80,000 troops on its common
frontier with Afghanistan to stop any illegal cross-border movement and
about 500 Pakistan soldiers have embraced Shahadat.
He, however, made it clear that guarding the common border was the
collective responsibility of both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Briefly touching on efforts Pakistan had made to fight terrorism, the
President said that the government had successfully dealt with the
menace and cities were now almost clean of terrorists.
The law-enforcement agencies chased them in the mountains where they
took refuge after fleeing from cities and were now on the run, he added.
However, the President said as the focus was now shifting from al-Qaeda
to Taliban, both Pakistan and Afghanistan need to locate their command
structure and destroy it.
The President also explained to the audience the peace deal signed in
North Waziristan region to end activities of miscreants through
revitalizing institutions of Political Agent and Councils of Maliks and
Lungi holders.
The President spoke of efforts by Pakistan against extremism that
included preventing misuse of loudspeakers at mosques or places of
worship and publication of hate material meant to incite people to
violence.
President Musharraf also highlighted the geo-strategic location of both
Pakistan and Afghanistan, which provided connectivity to land-locked
Central Asian States and made them as trade and energy corridor for the
region.
The two countries are linked together by the common faith, heritage,
culture and geography. "Therefore our destinies are intertwined," he
said and added that peace and stability in the region will lead to
tranquility while turmoil and conflict will have adverse effects both on
Pakistan and Afghanistan.
First Lady, Begum Sehba Musharraf, Governors of NWFP and Balochistan,
ten federal ministers, three ministers of state and other high-ranking
officials accompanied the President on the visit. |
