KARACHI, Aug 24: Pakistan has sought American consent for the transfer of its 643 nationals being held in Afghanistan jails since the fall of the Taliban, to Pakistani prisons.

Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri told a news conference here on Sunday that he had also discussed the matter with his Afghan counterpart Abdullah Abdullah and US President George Bush’s special representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad during his visit to Kabul on Aug 21-22.

“Mr Khalilzad promised to obtain the American administration’s consent soon,” said the minister and hoped that the outcome of his talks with Mr Khalilzad and the Afghan leadership would be “positive”.

Mr Kasuri pointed out that the Afghan government had earlier agreed to release the Pakistanis but the decision could not be implemented because during their screening by the Americans, some of the detainees expressed extremist views which led the interrogators to disallow their release.

“If Americans want to keep those with extremists views, they can keep them in Afghanistan because these prisoners have threatened to return to Afghanistan and fight back,” he said.

The minister, who disclosed that his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov had phoned him earlier in the day, said that in view of the hardships being faced by the prisoners he had proposed that they should be transferred to Pakistani prisons, where they would be provided with medical facilities and have a chance to meet their family members.

He said once these detainees were shifted to Pakistan they could undergo screening before their release.

In reply to a question, Mr Kasuri said the Afghan government, too, had raised the issue of release of its nationals from Pakistani jails and added that he was waiting for the list of those individuals. Mr Kasuri reiterated that Pakistan had not indulged in cross-border incursions and maintained that the trilateral commission — comprising Islamabad, Kabul and Washington — had vindicated Pakistan’s position.

Referring to the operation in the Mohmand Agency, he said: “We went there directly on the invitation of the US.”

Asked why the Afghan government, particularly elements belonging to the Northern Alliance, were persisting with the allegations against Pakistan, Mr Kasuri said: “Our only effort is to bring improvement to the conditions and not to allow the same to deteriorate”.

He referred to an assurance given by President Gen Pervez Musharraf to American lawmakers on Saturday that terrorists would not be allowed to use Pakistani territory. Even then if there were some incidents, they must be investigated, he added.

He said President Hamid Karzai had issued instructions to allow Pakistani banks to start operation in Afghanistan.

RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA: Mr Kasuri said the Russian foreign minister had telephonically discussed the Iraq situation with him.