Pak praised for NATO’s help in Afghanistan

LONDON—Pakistan’s contribution to the NATO efforts in fighting the Al-Qaeda and Taliban elements in Afghanistan has been praised.
At a briefing on ‘NATO involvement in Afghanistan-its role and purpose in the region’ at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on Friday, a senior NATO British diplomat said Pakistan has been a crucial partner in the war on terror and its role and co-operation has been welcomed by the NATO commanders.
He said President General Pervez Musharraf has taken bold steps in countering these elements on the Pakistani side of the Pak-Afghan border and as consequent Pakistan has sustained heavy losses. The diplomat also underlined Pakistan’s importance as a member of the Tripartite Commission which is engaged in intelligence gathering and sharing with the NATO and Afghan authorities. He acknowledged that Pakistan-Afghan border was a difficult terrain and the challenge of patrolling such a tricky area is of enormous concern to Pakistan which has been taking significant measures in this regard.
The diplomat appreciated that day-to-day co-operation is increasing between Pakistan and NATO forces. He said the military aspect of NATO’s mission in Afghanistan has been going quite well and the insurgents have suffered significant losses.
“But these losses have been offset by the increase in the general public anxiety over security as the Taliban have shifted to asymmetrical violence through suicide bombing and improved explosive devices,” he said.
The Brussels-based diplomat who returned from a recent visit to Afghanistan said Sangin and Helmand remains a trouble spot and the Afghan Government forces must hold on to the area wrestled from the control of Taliban by the NATO forces.
Responding to a question, he said the NATO forces were involved in counter-insurgency which may take a long time to overcome. He advocated a comprehensive approach in terms of building Afghan institutions and attacking drugs trade which is fuelling the insurgency.
Responding to a question, the British diplomat said it was up to the Afghan Government to enter into negotiations with the saner elements of Taliban for finding a peaceful solution.
He said NATO has been taking extreme care to ensure that innocent civilian are not killed in air strikes but is facing an enemy which is not restrained by moral or ethical principles. “They are fighting hard. They are losing their own lives. There are hundreds of Pakistani military that have lost their lives,” she told CNN in an interview, in which she deeply regretted the loss of lives in Thursday’s attack on former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s homecoming convoy in Karachi.
Chambrelin, who now heads the Middle East Institute, praised Pakistan’s critical cooperation in the war on terror and observed that President Musharraf and the army have been steadfast in the fight against terrorism in the border region. She noted that the South Asian ally had been a victim of terrorism long before 9/11 terrorist attacks.
She also referred to the importance of cooperationbetween the two allies in counterterrorism efforts. Commenting on Thursday’s twin bombings, Chamberlin sympathized with victims and said she “was really verysaddened. I mean, these are Pakistani people, 124 people. They all have families. Frankly, the Pakistani people deserve better than this.” On PPP chairperson, the former diplomat said, al Qaeda and the Taliban had threatened Benazir Bhutto before she went back. “She knew — she went back to her homeland with her eyes open,” she added recallingwhen the former Pakistani prime minister expressed her determination to return home at a talk at the Middle East Institute.—APP