LONDON, Feb 1: Pakistan has asked the delegates of London Conference to adopt a holistic approach to address various dimensions of the security problem in Afghanistan as military means alone could not be a viable option.

A press release issued by the Pakistan High Commission here on Wednesday said the High Commissioner, Dr Maleeha Lodhi, in her speech at the London Conference, emphasized the need for an effective strategy to deal with complex security issues of Afghanistan in a comprehensive manner.

Dr Lodhi said: “We believe security cannot be assured by military means alone. Military means are necessary but not a sufficient guarantor of Afghanistan’s security.”

She reiterated a proposal put forward by President General Musharraf earlier in September 2005 and said the Pakistan-Afghanistan border should be fenced at selective places.

Calling upon Afghanistan to take the proposal seriously, Dr Lodhi said selective fencing could help to improve the regional security situation.

“Fencing of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border has been proposed by Pakistan to improve the security situation in the region. The fence is proposed to be erected at select places to complement other security measures. We hope the Afghan government will give this serious consideration,” said Dr Lodhi.

The High Commissioner told the delegates that ISAF/NATO representatives have now been included in the US-Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Tripartite Commission and said it was an important development.

She said the commission has formed a subcommittee on military information, exchange and coordination to draw the operational picture of specific areas, identify principal assets of the three security forces and deploy them in a mutually reinforcing way.