ISLAMABAD, April 22: Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said that his government favours resolution of the Kashmir issue in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions.

He made this statement at a joint news conference with Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali at the PM House after their talks on Tuesday. The talks lasted for over an hour.

“We support the UN resolutions and in accordance to that we seek a resolution of the difficulties between India and Pakistan,” Mr Karzai said in response to a question about how his government would help the people of occupied Kashmir to attain their right of self-determination as granted to them by the UN Security Council resolutions number 91 and 122.

President Karzai avoided a direct answer to the question and was quick to point to his pre-occupation at present with problems in Afghanistan. “Afghanistan is quite busy determining its own fight of self-determination and security of its own people,” he stated.

The Afghan president maintained his government was keen to see “very close friendly ties” between India and Pakistan, emphasising that: “It wishes the people of the two countries to live in prosperity and happiness.”

He termed his talks with the Prime Minister Jamali very fruitful. In the opening statement he said: “We enjoyed cordial and fruitful discussions on the further expansion of relations between our two countries covering all walks of life from trade to business to transit to culture to training of policemen to establishment of banks and to PIA flights.”

He indicated that a proposal for increasing PIA flights from Pakistan to Kabul was being considered.

“The two sides also discussed their joint struggle against terrorism with the extreme importance of fighting it to the total defeat and elimination of it in the interest of the people of the two countries,” Mr Karzai added.

The Afghan president downplayed the recent clash between the border security forces of the two countries, saying: “Such things were bound to occur.”

Dispelling the notion that tension had been caused by the clash, he said it was not something to be taken seriously.

“Afghanistan and Pakistan only have a bright future in front of them,” he said, adding there was “tremendous willingness in Pakistan” to further strengthen relations with his country. In this context he pointed to the significant increase in the trade volume between the two countries, which he said in the last nine months stood at $270 million.

President Karzai held out an assurance that the Pakistanis detained in Afghan jails would be released soon. However, he did not give any timeframe. He said the delay had been caused due to problems in their identification and crime. He disclosed that his government was also alarmed when 15 of some 135 Pakistani prisoners questioned for identification declared that they would come back and fight.

When asked whether his government would seek any guarantees from the Pakistan government to stop the incursions by the Taliban, Mr Karzai expressed full confidence in the support being extended by Pakistan in this regard, hoping that Pakistan would continue to help. He maintained that Pakistan “as a brother of ours” had given the assurance of its full cooperation for the security and safety of Afghanistan.

In this context, he pointed out that the problem was not with the “common Taliban” and who had the right to live as any other people.

He also expressed gratitude to Pakistan for hosting the Afghan refugees for over two decades. He said he was thankful that Prime Minister Jamali had given him the commitment that the refugees who did not wish to repatriate at the moment would not be forcibly sent to Afghanistan.