KARACHI, Nov 18: The government has steered the country safely through the crisis by following the policy of being part of the international coalition against terrorism.

This was stated by Information and Media Development Secretary Syed Anwer Mahmood at a press conference. He called it a “big achievement”.

Pakistan, he said, supported the war against terrorism as a matter of principle. “If we would not support the international coalition, one cannot imagine the consequences for Pakistan,” he said, adding that Pakistan did not join the coalition for any economic consideration.

The information secretary reiterated Pakistan’s call for a broad-based, multi-ethnic political dispensation in Afghanistan, and said that the Security Council’s resolution on the issue had vindicated Islamabad’s policy.

“There is no other option but to have a multi-ethnic, broad-based government. It is only a matter of time, and the sooner the UN moves in that direction the better.”

Referring to Prof Burhanuddin Rabbani’s statement on Saturday in which he had stated that a meeting of all the Afghan groups would be convened in Kabul to discuss the formation of a broad-based government, the secretary said the international community was moving in that direction and hoped the situation would be soon normalized as a result of the initiatives taken by special UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.

Mr Mahmood said that whichever government was installed in Afghanistan, it would be in the interest of Pakistan to have friendly relations with that.

Mr Mahmood said the transitional government and its successor would be broad-based which meant that even the interim government had to be broad-based.

He dispelled the concerns of a questioner about the fallout of the present critical situation in Afghanistan and said: “We don’t have to be overly worried.”

Responding to a question about the Taliban, he said that in any political dispensation, Taliban cannot be wished away. There has to be distinction between the hardcore leadership of Taliban under Mulla Omar and thousands of Afghans who followed him.

Pakistan, he said, had not yet made any contact with the Northern Alliance and added that the UN envoy was taking initiatives for a broad-based government and when such deliberations took place under the world body, Islamabad would take appropriate steps.

“When we talk of a broad-based, multi-ethnic government in Afghanistan, it means that Northern Alliance can be part of that dispensation, he said.

Asked about the implications of the government policy on Kashmir issue and relations with India, the information secretary said that by becoming part of the international coalition the government had succeeded in neutralizing Indian propaganda.

He said the world leaders had recognized that Kashmir is the core issue which must be resolved by India and Pakistan in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

He referred to statements of President Gen Pervez Musharraf who had told US President George W. Bush that there was a freedom struggle going on in occupied Kashmir and there should be a difference between a freedom struggle and terrorism.

He also referred to the statement of Secretary of State Colin Powell that Kashmir was a dispute which Pakistan and India should resolve through negotiations.

Leaders of many other countries, including France and Germany, too were saying that Kashmir was a disputed territory and with this policy Pakistan had, in fact, strengthened the Kashmir cause.

He termed reports that Osama bin Laden, Mulla Omar and others had crossed into Pakistan figment of imagination. He described such reports as irresponsible and motivated.

About the Afghanistan embassy in Islamabad, he said it would continue to exist till a permanent government took over in Afghanistan.