Terrorist dens to be smashed: Musharraf holds talks with Karzai
“We have vowed that we will not allow each other’s countries ever to be used against the interests of ours,” President Musharraf told a joint news briefing with Chairman Karzai.
“I have made it absolutely clear that Pakistan has only one aim — to assist Afghanistan and Chairman Karzai all the way in what he wants to do here,” said Gen Musharraf, who is the first head of a country in the region to visit Kabul after the Karzai’s interim government took over in December last.
President Musharraf held formal talks with Chairman Karzai at the presidential palace following his arrival here on a day-long visit to Kabul.
Gen Musharraf arrived here this morning to a very warm welcome. He was received at the Kabul airport by Chairman Hamid Karzai.
Gen Musharraf was accompanied by a 10-member delegation, which included NWFP governor, Retd Lt-Gen Iftikhar Hussain Shah, governor of Balochistan, Amir ul Mulk Mengal, federal ministers for foreign affairs, commerce, communications, finance, States and Frontier Regions, information and media development, chairman of Wapda and deputy chairman of the planning commission.
Mr Karzai told the news briefing that they had discussed “the prevention of sanctuaries of terrorists on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border.
“”Pakistan as a neighbour, as a brother has been with us through difficult times,” said the Afghan Interim leader.
Both the leaders said they had fruitful discussion on various issues including refugees, transit trade, start of air flights between various cities of the two countries, and the war against drugs and terrorism.
Gen Musharraf said he was extremely glad that “I see Kabul in the hands of a new government which is trying to bring new conditions to Afghanistan, to bring normalcy back into Afghanistan and to bring the general grandeur of this place back to Afghanistan and to Kabul”.
“We will assist him (Karzai) all the way in whatever he wants to do here,” said the President and added, “It is in this total spirit of brotherhood and brotherliness that I have come here to this country”.
The President recalled the centuries-old ties between the two countries and said Afghanistan and Pakistan have linkages in history. “We have common history, geography, our rivers and mountains are common, we have common religion.”
Therefore, the president said, there was “no scope whatsoever for doing anything other than being brothers and for working in mutual interests.”
Musharraf said the two sides have mutually decided to coordinate efforts against poppy cultivation and in fighting terrorism.
He expressed the hope for a bright bilateral relationship. He was confident that Pakistan and Afghanistan will be able to take forward their cooperation through the Joint Ministerial Commission.
On the occasion, the president also urged the international community to speed up the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts to bring real normalcy back to Afghanistan.
Replying to a question about the past relationship between the two neighbours, President Musharraf referred to the long brotherly history between the two countries and said, “sometime there are differences between brothers (too)”. But, he stated “There was no reason to believe that we cannot overcome these differences.”
Musharraf said, only a very small part of the past history of relationship contained differences but, he added, “we cannot live in the past”.
He said longer period of bilateral history is based on excellent relationship and expressed the confidence that it will be going to prevail in the future as well.
Musharraf said, he felt he had come to his own country while referring to the warm welcome he received.
Responding to a question, the president said, “he (Osama) may be alive or dead, I don’t know, my view is that Osama bin Laden may be dead.”
Musharraf said, he did not know about Osama’s whereabouts but guessed that there was less probability of his being outside Afghanistan.
To a question about the possibility of hot pursuit of Al Qaeda members by the United States into Pakistani territory, Gen Musharraf said it was neither in the interest of the coalition nor Pakistan. “We have our forces on the border and there is excellent communication between them and US forces and Coalition forces at strategic and tactical levels,” he added.
He said there was no problem of exchange of information and the cooperation is working very well.
He said, we have not been asked by the United States to allow them to get in.
He said our forces were on the borders and the United States was very comfortable in operating with Pakistan. He said we have done a number of actions where Al Qaida members came over and were arrested.
“We got hold of them, jointly interrogated and jointly took action,” he added.
Mr Karzai welcoming the Pakistani delegation to Afghanistan said he and his colleagues were long waiting for this day.
He recalled Pakistan’s assistance in giving refuge to millions of Afghans at the time of jihad against Soviet occupation.
He also thanked the President for the assistance which Pakistan extended for the victims of recent earthquake.
Mr Karzai expressed the hope that the visit of Gen Musharraf will further promote the brotherly links between the two countries, besides paving the way for more economic activities in this region.
Replying to a question Mr Karzai said there is no misunderstanding between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Mr Karzai also announced that he will look into the release to those Pakistani prisoners who have no links with Al Qaeda or terrorism.
Gen Musharraf said Pakistan and Afghanistan have already embassies in each other’s capitals, Pakistan has opened its consulate in Jalalabad and is looking forward to open its consulate in Kandhar as well.
Earlier, soon after President Musharraf’s arrival, the two leaders held one-on-one talks, at the Gul Khane Palace.
They were later joined by their delegations at the formal talks.
This was the first formal state visit by a head of state after the fall of Taliban regime. Chairman Hamid Karzai had paid an official visit of Pakistan on Feb 8, at the head of a 20-member high-level delegation.—APP