Pakistan on Thursday allayed Afghan government concerns over the
alleged backing of militants by reassuring support to the
post-Taliban nation.
"Pakistan believes in the sovereignty and independence of
Afghanistan. It serves Pakistan to see a strong and stable
environment in Afghanistan," Pakistan's prime minister Shaukat Aziz
told reporters at a joint press conference with President Hamid
Karzai after their meeting which lasted for two hours.
Relations between the two countries have been soured as Kabul
accuses Pakistan of supporting Taliban militants while Islamabad
terms the claims as baseless and rejects it.
Pakistan announced recently to fence and mines its border with
Afghanistan but Afghan President described the plan as an attempt
to divide the inhabitants of the either sides of the controversial
Durand Line which divides the two neighbors.
Afghanistan's successive governments have not recognized the
Durand Line as international border with Pakistan.
The objective of the plan, Pakistan says, is to check militants'
infiltration while President Karzai stressed for destroying
terrorists' training centers and chocking their financial resources
outside his country.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz repeated his government's stance
that Islamabad would continue to fight against extremism and
militancy alongside Afghanistan.
"We need to work together to ensure that collectively we pursue
those policies and objectives which create peace, progress and
prosperity in our region. Let me say that Pakistan is totally
committed to fighting terrorism and extremism," Prime Minister Aziz
said.
"It is in our respective national interests of both countries to
oppose these forces. Afghanistan and Pakistan can work closely
together to achieve these objectives," the Pakistani prime minister
stressed.
He also said that Pakistan has so far contributed US$300 million
in the reconstruction process of the war-ravaged Afghanistan.
However, Prime Minster Aziz confirmed that both Afghanistan and
Pakistan are facing challenges and the two countries, he said, had
to work together to face these challenges and remove
misunderstanding.
President Karzai thanked Pakistan for its support during Afghan
war against former Soviet Union and hosting millions of Afghan
refugees, but also expressed his regret over the strained relations
between the two neighbors.
"It is a matter of regret that the environment of distrust has
been created in relations of the two neighbors, "Karzai said
The reason behind this distrust, Karzai added, was terrorist
activities and terrorists' attacks on schools and spoiling
stability in Afghanistan.
More than 4,000 people had been killed in Taliban-linked
insurgency in 2006 and militants, according to their commanders,
would further intensify their attacks in 2007.
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"I hope that our discussions lead to viable stability in
Afghanistan and our relations get closer as the Prime Minster
assured us," the Afghan President emphasized.
(Xinhua News Agency January 5, 2007)
