President calls for joint strategy for elimination of Taliban
By Our Special Correspondent

ISLAMABAD: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Saturday said that he has forewarned of Taliban arising again and now they are becoming a bigger threat than the Al-Qaeda and a joint strategy by the US, Pakistan and Afghanistan is needed for their complete elimination.
President expressed these views while talking to US CENTCOM chief Gen Abi Zaid who called on him at the President House. Matters related to Pak-US defense and military ties, war against terrorism, situation in Afghanistan and Tripartite commission.
According to military sources, President Musharraf briefed the CENTCOM chief on Pakistan’s role against terrorism and the peace agreement with the tribesmen of Waziristan.
President told that the peace agreement is yielding positive results and similar agreements would also be inked with tribesmen of South Waziristan so that foreign elements do not find any safe heaven in FATA and the Pakistani soil is not used for any terrorism acts.
President stressed that terrorism cannot be combated just through the military might and Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US need to adopt a joint strategy keeping in view the regional situation.
President Musharraf said that he had forewarned a long time ago about the Taliban rising again and now they are becoming a bigger threat than the Al-Qaeda. He said that Pakistani forces had broken the back of the Al-Qaeda and however we would need to work together for combating Taliban and Talibanization.
President said that it is regrettable that Afghanistan is leveling charges against us despite knowing that we have played a front line role in the war against terrorism.
He said that Afghan government should end the volley of charges against us as this is just giving an opportunity to the vested interests and could put the war on terrorism in jeopardy.
President with this respect stressed the US CENTCOM chief to play his rule and apprise the Afghan government of the ground realities.
Sources told that president also stressed on increasing joint patrolling at the Pak-Afghan border.
Sources told that Gen Abi zaid lauded President Musharraf’s commitment and cooperation in war against terrorism and assured that his country would support every step Pakistan takes for the peace and tranquility in the region,
He also welcomed President Musharraf’s proposal for adopting a joint strategy and said that US grants long term relations with Pakistan as for its benefit and in ending terrorism.