BERLIN, Nov 23: Afghan President Hamid Karzai criticized Pakistan in an interview to be published in Germany on Monday for not doing enough to combat Taliban terrorism and urged his neighbour to round up Taliban leaders on its soil.

“We cannot stop this terrorism as long as Pakistan doesn’t cooperate,” Mr Karzai told Der Spiegel news magazine. “That is the key issue.”

Mr Karzai said he had urged President Pervez Musharraf in conversations to help clamp down on the Taliban.

“I told him we shall only be able to defeat the imported terrorism if Pakistan helps — there’s no other way,” he said. “I believe Pakistan could and should do more against terrorism.”

Mr Karzai said that Pakistan could, for example, detain all Taliban leaders it finds within its borders or stop Pakistani religious leaders who spread hatred in the name of religion. He rejected the suggestion he was blaming others for Afghan’s woes.

“Of course we have our own home-made security problems — with war lords, criminal gangs, and drug trade,” Mr Karzai said. “But the actual terrorism is coming from outside.”

Mr Karzai said the production of opium had increased.

“We don’t know who’s behind it. Certainly the Taliban terrorists are involved and use it to finance their weapons.”—Reuters