Pak tells NATO, EU, premature exit from Afghanistan will be catastrophic for region
By ANIMonday, June 7, 2010
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan believes that it would be catastrophic for the NATO forces to walk out of war ravaged Afghanistan without establishing durable peace and stability in the country, as it could lead to revival of militancy in the region.
According to highly placed sources, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has conveyed Islamabad’s fears to the NATO leadership.
Sources said that Gilani told both the European Union (EU) and NATO that leaving Afghanistan ‘prematurely’ would tantamount to repeating the situation that emerged after the withdrawal of Soviet troop in the late 1980s.
Observers pointed out that Islamabad’s concern over the possibility of international troops walking out of Afghanistan was primarily due to Kabul’s efforts to reconcile with Afghan Taliban without taking Pakistan on board.
They said that Pakistan had also raised its concerns over Afghanistan’s reluctance to evolve an effective mechanism to check illegal border movements through the Pak-Afghan border to curb cross-border terrorism, The Nation reports.
Another issue that Pakistan raised with the EU and NATO leaders is the rampant flow of drugs from the neighbouring country, which many believed, was the major source of finance for the region’s terror network. (ANI)
