WASHINGTON Pakistan on Friday rejected suggestions that it has quietly supported Taliban elements in Afghanistan and pledged to work to bring stability in its northwestern neighbour.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, in a theme he has stressed throughout a visit to Washington, said Pakistan was striving to be a “moderate, democratic voice” since its return to civilian rule in 2008.

“Friends can also change,” Qureshi told National Public Radio.

“There was a time when there was a Taliban government in Afghanistan and Pakistan felt comfortable with that. But today we do not want the Taliban to take over Afghanistan,” he said.

“What the American people need to understand is people in Pakistan, democracy in Pakistan — they are getting their act together,” he said.

He said Pakistan would only seek involvement in Afghanistan in accordance with the countrys wishes.

“Whatever we can do to achieve the objective of a peaceful, stable, friendly Afghanistan, we are going to do that,” he said.—AFP