Being part of Afghanistan’s political solution “absolutely essential” for Pak: Akram
By ANISaturday, January 15, 2011
GENEVA - Pakistan must be part of the attempts to forge a political solution in Afghanistan rather than simply be urged to kill extremists on its soil, a senior Pakistani diplomat has said.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Zamir Akram, made these comments about a month after US President Barack Obama said that Pakistan must step up its attempts to root out “terrorist safe havens” within its borders.
“What you are asking us to do is to pull your chestnuts out of the fire and be the bad guys. So we kill them while you talk to them,” the Daily Times quoted Akram, as telling journalists.
Some western officials and military leaders have suggested a deal with the ‘moderate Taliban’ in Afghanistan while the military offensive continues there.
Akram underlined that the Taliban were part of the native Pashtun tribes in the region, and that simply killing leaders in Pakistan’s remote western frontier areas was not viable “because we have to live with these people in the future”.
“It is absolutely essential for us that we be part of this approach that is where you bring a political solution to Afghanistan and not be part of only a military approach,” he stressed, adding, “That’s where the crux is.”
Earlier this month, Pakistan had said it had agreed with a visiting delegation of Afghan peace council- charged with trying to broker peace with the Taliban- to hold a peace sect between the two countries.
The visit was regarded as the beginning of a new phase in Kabul’s attempts to woo Taliban rebels to negotiate peace after nine years of war in Afghanistan. (ANI)
