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| January 6, 2002 | Sunday | Shawwal 21, 1422 |
Pakistan threatens to withdraw troops from Durrand Line
ISLAMABAD, Jan 5: The concentration of forces on Pakistan’s eastern border would retard ‘our availability’ to support coalition on the western border, Minister for Kana and Safron Abbas Sarfaraz Khan said here on Saturday.
The present situation if continued would force Pakistan to withdraw its forces from Durrand Line, which were deployed to contain extremist elements to enter Pakistan, he observed.
Mr Khan’s remarks came at a meeting with Congressman Tony P. Hall.
The minister said Pakistanis loved peace and hated violence and extremism. But any adventurism, if undertaken on the eastern borders of the country, would be thwarted as the nation was fully prepared, he added.
Mr Abbas said Kashmir was acknowledged by the international community and the UN as a disputed issue. He said the United Nations Resolutions suggested a mechanism to solve this problem and Pakistan was prepared to follow the path of the world body. But India should also respect the verdict of the international community expressed in the UN Resolutions, he added.
Talking of the economic, social and political burden of the Afghan refugees on Pakistan, the minister said Pakistan was the only country that had contributed tremendously to the refugees for the last 20 years, although it had to pay a high cost.
Mr Tony P. Hall appreciated the Islamabad’s role in fight against terrorism and said the whole world appreciated Pakistan for dealing a delicate issue in a befitting manner.—NNI
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