May 25, 2008	Sunday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 19, 1429

KABUL, May 24: Pakistan must not allow its soil to be used for launching attacks in Afghanistan, the government said on Saturday after a Pakistani militant vowed to continue ‘jihad’ while pursuing peace talks with Islamabad.

The statement by Baitullah Mehsud was “naked interference” in Afghanistan’s affairs, defence ministry spokesman Gen Mohammad Zahir Azimi told AFP.

“Our hope from the Pakistan government is to prevent its soil being used against our country,” Azimi said.

The government in Islamabad launched talks with Taliban on its side of the border soon after winning elections in February.

Azimi reiterated calls by Afghan and western leaders for a combined approach to fighting the extremism that straddles the border.

“Any agreement must be based on regional and bilateral interests,” he said.—AFP