Diplomats hope to meet detained foreigners

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, AUG. 13. The diplomatic community in Islamabad is hopeful of an early end to the controversy over the detention of 24 persons including eight foreigners by the Taliban regime last week on charges of campaign to convert people to Christianity even as suspense continues over the request made by western embassies here to visit the detainees.

The hope of the western diplomats was based on the reported statement by the Deputy Minister of Justice of the Taliban that the regime might expel the eight foreigners after a 10-day jail sentence. Since the detained are already in jail for over a week, they could hope to be out of Afghanistan some time this week.

There is a great deal of anxiety in the diplomatic circles as reports from Kabul had indicated that the foreigners were facing punishment ranging from death to just a few days in prison. Throughout the last week, representatives of the western embassies here pleaded with the Taliban authorities for permission to visit the detained foreigners. Despite promise that they would be given travel documents and that they could meet not only the foreign detainees but also the Taliban authorities, the visas never materialised.

The United Nations Special Envoy to Afghanistan, Mr. Francesc Vendrell, who was in Kabul on Saturday, said that he would make a special request to the Taliban authorities for clemency to the 24 arrested aid workers.

``I want to make it clear that my visit was planned long ago but obviously I will raise this issue. I just hope that they deal with it in accordance with the international principles of fair treatment and I hope that they will give access to the diplomatic representatives of the foreigners,'' he told correspondents in Kabul.

In a related development, Pakistan has said that it sees no justification in the U.S. demanding Islamabad to help arrest the Saudi terrorist mastermind, Osama bin Laden, and asked Washington to directly deal with Kabul for his extradition.

On ties between Iran and India, he told the magazine that Teheran should not promote ties with New Delhi at the cost of Islamabad as Iran and Pakistan have religious, social and cultural relations for centuries and Pakistan wanted to strengthen the ties further.

On Indo-Pak ties, he said Pakistan and India should continue the process of dialogue for establishing tension free atmosphere in South Asia.

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Section  : International
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