Taliban leader in Pak. for talks

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, OCT. 20 Pakistan today confirmed that a senior Taliban Minister and Commander of the Taliban Army, Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani, is here for consultations with the Musharraf Government and Afghan groups as part of the ongoing efforts for formation of a broadbased Government in Kabul.

The Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman, Mr. Riaz Mohammad Khan, told correspondents at the regular press briefing that Commander Haqqani had met Pakistani officials dealing with Afghan affairs and discussed the contours of the idea of formation of a broadbased government.

Mr. Khan also confirmed that a U.S. helicopter crashed on Pakistani soil. However, he emphasised that it was an accident and that the helicopter was not engaged in any military operations in Afghanistan.

When a Western journalist wanted to know what kind of cooperation Islamabad was extending to Washington when it was allowing senior Taliban commanders to visit Pakistan freely, Mr. Khan maintained that Commander Haqqani is ``not Taliban. He is affiliated to Taliban. You should know that Commander Haqqani is a veteran who led operations against the Soviet Union and resistance by commanders like him led to the withdrawal of the Soviet Union and contributed to the freedom struggle in Central Asia and the ultimate collapse of the Soviet Union,'' he said.

The Taliban Ambassador, Mullah Abdul Saleem Zaeef, who had just returned from Kandahar had also met Pakistan officials and apprised them of the latest situation. He had not brought any proposal for a ceasefire. ``The comments attributed to him about the peace proposal from Quetta are probably not correct''.

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Section  : International
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