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Pakistan to deploy more troops on Afghan border: FM

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, June 28, IRNA
Pakistan-Troops
Pakistan will deploy 10,000 more troops along the Afghan border, which will take the total number of troops there to 90,000, Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri said.

Speaking at a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday, Kasuri said that President General Pervez Musharraf ordered the deployment of more troops along Afghan border after he met Rice.

The US secretary of state had 90-minute delegation-level talks with President Gen Pervez Musharraf that focused on war against terrorism, the foreign minister said.

Announcement for the fresh deployment came amidst allegations from Afghanistan that Taliban has sanctuaries in Pakistan and they cross into Afghanistan for attacks.

Kasuri was visibly agitated when a journalist accompanying the US secretary drew his attention to Afghanistan's claim that Pakistan was not doing enough in the war on terrorism.

He said while Pakistan sympathized with Afghanistan it was compelled to respond when allegations were leveled against it.

Reiterating all the steps Pakistan had taken so far, he underlined that it had no motive in destabilizing Afghanistan.

On the contrary, Pakistan had the greatest stakes in Afghanistan's peace and stability, he added.

In her remarks, Rice said the US considered Pakistan a good friend and a strategic partner.

She said her discussions with the president revolved around Pakistan-US counter-terrorism cooperation and bilateral relations.

She said the objective of her visit was also to review progress the two countries had made on the bilateral front since the visit of President George W. Bush to Pakistan in March.

She said, "I came here because Pakistan is a good friend and an important strategic partner and this is the message that I bring from President Bush."
She expressed the US support for the path of enlightened moderation that it had adopted and underlined that further democratization of the country would help in that direction.

She held out assurance that her government was committed to help Pakistan meet its growing energy needs through clean, reliable and safe means of energy.

The foreign minister said it was a difficult situation to tackle and while Pakistan was doing its best, it was also the responsibility of the Afghan government.

He said the Afghan government should share intelligence with Pakistan if it had any specific information about Taliban leaders hiding inside Pakistan or share it with the CIA.

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