25 August 2004	Wednesday	08 Rajab 1425

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)

ISLAMABAD, Aug 24: Making a fine distinction between Al Qaeda-perpetrated terrorism and that of the Taliban, Afghan President Hamid Karzai told a group of editors here on Tuesday that he was going back home after obtaining a promise from President Pervez Musharraf that Pakistan would do everything it could do to help his country hold elections in a peaceful atmosphere.

In a wide-ranging discussion with Pakistani editors before his departure, President Karzai made it clear, albeit not in so many words, that he expected Pakistan to do more than what it was doing at present to stop the Taliban from crossing over into his country and indulging in terrorist activities to disrupt the ongoing democratic process.

He said he would go by what his people were saying when told that a general impression in his country was that Pakistan was not doing enough to stop the Taliban from crossing over to Afghanistan.

"Pakistan is putting up a good fight against Al Qaeda and we have resolved (he and President Musharraf) that together we should also put up a good fight against those terrorist elements who are fighting Afghans and killing our civilians, hurting the peace process," he added.

He said he and President Musharraf resolved that Pakistan and Afghanistan would do everything to stop all those elements from coming to Afghanistan. "We have decided to take more resolute actions, we know the difficulties that Pakistan is facing, and Pakistan knows our difficulties.

But a massive effort has to be put in place to stop terrorists from hurting Afghanistan, especially the upcoming elections. This has been decided and let us hope that we succeed," he said.

When asked specifically if he thought Pakistan should be doing more than what it was doing at present, he said a lot was being done by Pakistan to counter terrorism. "But a lot more can be done, on the Afghan side to fight terrorism."

When pressed, he recalled that President Musharraf himself had stated on Monday that there might be some people going from here, and said: "We have to take strong measures to fight all such evils."

He, however, made it clear that nobody in Afghanistan believed that terrorists crossing into Afghanistan were being supported by Pakistan. He said such elements had not been known to have crossed into Afghanistan from Iran.

"We have best of relations with Iran as well as with Pakistan, the only thing that we are worried about is terrorism which comes from across our borders with Pakistan." Answering a question, he said allied forces would remain in his country till Afghanistan had its own security institutions in place, its own police, its own army capable of defending its borders and fighting terrorism on its own.

"Till then we need their help and they will stay with us. And it is not affecting our sovereignty and independence." he said. The Afghan president said the Taliban, the warlords and former communists were all welcome to resume normal life in Afghanistan. "Afghanistan is as much their home as it is of any other Afghan."

Talking specially of the Taliban, he said: "They are the sons of the soil, they are most welcome to stay and work in Afghanistan and get registered and vote and make money, get married, stand in elections and like Maulana Fazlur Rehman and his people, who got elected to Pakistan's parliament, I want our Taliban and our Mullahs to come and do the same.

It is really unfair that Mullahs of our neighbours are getting voted and our Mullahs are getting blown up and are killing themselves and having a miserable life. They should also enjoy good life as others are doing."

He, however, said that those 50-100 Taliban who had committed heinous crimes were not welcome. "They will be apprehended and tried." Answering a question, he said he was in communication with former Taliban foreign minister Maulvi Wakeel and the two had discussed the former's ideas on how to further strengthen peace in Afghanistan. "I will have a meeting with him soon."

He appeared highly satisfied with the pace of voters' registration and said while the projected figure of total registered voters was 10.5 million, the total had already crossed that figure with 41.3 per cent of registered voters being women.

He said in view of the recent bloody history of his country he would have been satisfied even with 20 per cent of women registering themselves for voting. "But this figure of 41 per cent is really highly encouraging."

He said terrorist activities of Taliban had so far made no dent in the registration process. In fact at places where some registrars were killed the number of people coming for registration surged within 24 hours of the incident.

Mr Karzai does not plan to launch a party of his own because he thinks it were the political parties like the communist party and those groups that had emerged following the culmination of jihad which had brought his country to such a sorry pass. But, he said, other people were free to form parties and some of the presidential candidates had already formed their parties.

The Afghan president said he planned to announce a manifesto which was being given a final shape. "This manifesto would aim to increase the per capita income of Afghanistan to $700 from the present $200 in the next five years.

For this, we will have to build roads, set up infrastructure, have lots of economic activity. In other words, I want Afghanistan to get rich. I want Afghanistan to rise above the subsistence level of living."

He hoped that by the election time all the candidates who were opposing him at present would come over to his side. "They don't have an agenda different from mine. All the 18 candidates have formed a council so how can they go against each other."

Still, he said, everybody had a chance to try his luck at the next elections as it was a democracy. "Let us go for it, let us have a fight and win at the ballot." He said Afghanistan was an Islamic country and its constitution was also Islamic but at the same time it was a democratic constitution which had reserved 25 per cent seats for women.

He said elections would not be fought on ethnic lines as each candidate had named his vice-president from the other ethnic group and sect. He said Afghanistan would soon release about 400 Pakistani prisoners, but declined to give any timeframe in this regard.

He said Afghans living in Pakistan would also be allowed to cast vote in the forthcoming elections and for the purpose they would be registered. When asked what he thought of cultural restrictions being imposed by the MMA government in the NWFP in the name of Islam, he said it was all wrong. "I have lived in the NWFP, it is a traditional society, it is an Islamic society as well. I do not know what the MMA is trying to do."