NEW YORK, Sept 22: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has assured the US and Afghan presidents that Pakistan would ensure the participation of Afghan refugees in the forthcoming elections in Afghanistan.

The United States is so keen on ensuring the participation of more than two million Afghan refugees in the Oct 9 presidential election that President Bush discussed the issue twice with President Musharraf in two days.

He first sought, and received, an assurance from President Musharraf on Tuesday evening when he held a crucial trilateral meeting with him and his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai in New York.

Then he raised the issue again on Wednesday morning at a breakfast meeting with Gen Musharraf. Later, in his address to the UN General Assembly, President Musharraf described the Afghan elections as "an important landmark" and pledged that "Pakistan will do all it can to prevent terrorists from using our territory to disrupt the Afghan election."

His pledge was noticed, and praised, by Mr Bush who "thanked President Musharraf for his efforts in support of out-of-country voting in Pakistan," said a joint statement issued after Wednesday's meeting.

The Pakistani and US leaders also "noted the urgency of maintaining a safe environment for fair elections in Afghanistan," the statement said. "We are making arrangement for registering as many refugees as we can," said Pakistan's envoy to the United Nations, Munir Akram, while briefing journalists after the trilateral meeting. "We are being helped by UN authorities."

"All three presidents stressed the need to ensure the elections are held peacefully. President Musharraf put forth some very constructive proposals," said Mr Akram, but did not explain what those proposals were.

He said an increase in terrorist activities along the Pakistan-Afghan border were also discussed in the half-hour meeting. Mr Karzai, he said, expressed the need for better cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan.