November 24, 2006	Friday	Ziqa'ad 2, 1427

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WASHINGTON, Nov 23: Pakistan must do more to stop the flow of Taliban fighters crossing the Afghan border, says Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay.

According to media reports, he told the Canadian parliament’s defence committee that 30,000 Pukhtuns moved unhindered across the border each day.

The minister told the committee that Pakistan was not doing enough to fight terrorism.

Pakistan must seek out and arrest senior Taliban officials, improve border security, sign and ratify United Nations conventions on terrorism, bring in stronger money-laundering laws and prevent the exploitation by insurgents of refugee camps in Afghanistan, he said.

He expressed hope that a new plan to have North Atlantic Treaty Organisation liaison officials inside the Pakistani government, as well as Pakistani officials sharing information while stationed in Kabul, would aid cooperation.

He said Canada was funding education projects in Pakistan so that children did not attend madressahs.

"Canada, along with our allies, continues to encourage Pakistan to step up its efforts to prevent the cross-border movement of insurgents between Pakistan and Afghanistan," he said.

The minister was appearing as part of committee hearings seeking an update on Canada's military mission in Afghanistan.

Opposition MPs agreed with Mr MacKay that Canada should increase diplomatic pressure on Pakistan, reports said. Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh criticised Pakistan for failing to arrest senior insurgents and for signing peace agreements with groups of Taliban.

He accused Mr Mackay of `mollycoddling’ Pakistan, an assertion the minister rejected.