May 20, 2006	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 21, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, May 19: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri said on Friday Afghan finger-pointing at Pakistan could harm the two countries’ joint fight against terrorism.

Winding up a foreign policy debate in the Senate, the minister refrained from replying to the latest reported criticism of Pakistan by Afghan President Hamid Karzai for allegedly training militants and sending them over to Afghanistan, saying the report of the remarks was not authentic.

“Let us give him the benefit of the doubt,” Mr Kasuri said about the remarks Mr Karzai was reported to have made on Thursday to tribal elders and officials in the eastern Afghan province of Kunar.

A Pakistan-based Afghan news service had quoted Mr Karzai as saying that Pakistani intelligence was giving military training to people and sending them to Afghanistan with logistics.

Mr Kasuri said stability in Afghanistan was in Pakistan’s own interest and asked why somebody should look for excuses for problems within Afghanistan “on this side of the border”.

He said it would be better for the two countries to share information about activities of militants and added: “Simply by finger-pointing you will make the situation worse.”

The foreign minister said Pakistan valued good friendly relations with Afghanistan and the past four years after the fall of the Taliban regime had been very productive.

“Pakistan fully supports the government of President Hamid Karzai,” he said. “We have direct stakes in the progress and stability of Afghanistan,” he added.

But he said security cooperation between the two countries had lately come under some strain and there was a “need for greater mutual trust, better coordination and more timely exchange of information.”

He said Pakistan would like the existing tripartite commission of Pakistani, Afghan and US military officials to be “utilised more fully for that purpose”.