November 25, 2008	Tuesday	Ziqa'ad 26, 1429

KABUL, Nov 24: Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said the emergence of a democratic government in Pakistan offered a “dim ray of hope” that regional cooperation, with the inclusion of India, could help bring an end to Taliban and Al Qaeda violence.

“Democratic change in Pakistan is good news for Afghans, Pakistanis and, by extension, many others across the world,” Mr Karzai wrote in an opinion piece in The Australian newspaper.

“I visited Pakistan for President Zardari’s inauguration and for the first time I saw a dim ray of hope,” he said.

“If we can all work together – Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, the US and our allies – I see a possibility of moving beyond the days when a government thinks it needs extremism as an instrument of policy.

“When all governments in the region reject extremism, there will be no place for extremists, and terrorism will wither away,’’ Mr Karzai said. —Reuters