Date:09/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/09/stories/2008070961321800.htm

International

Pakistan denies role

Nirupama Subramanian

ISLAMABAD: Amid veiled accusations by Afghanistan of a Pakistani hand in the attack, Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari urged “the countries of the region” not to be deterred from pursuing their agenda for peace.

In a statement on Tuesday, Mr. Zardari condemned the attack as “barbaric and cowardly’ and said the perpetrators were “enemies of peace” who wanted to destabilise the region.

“The incident should not deter the countries in the region from pursuing their common agenda of peace. If anything, it should further strengthen their resolve to fight terror in all its manifestations and forms,” he said.

Earlier, Pakistan rejected the veiled accusation by Afghanistan that it was behind the suicide attack. Interior Adviser Rehman Malik, who functions as the Interior Minister, said the accusation was “baseless”.

Speaking in Malyasia, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani also said Pakistan was determined to fight terrorism with an “iron fist”, adding that a destabilised Afghanistan was not in his country’s interests.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureishi has also condemned the attack.

In the prevailing atmosphere, Pakistani media speculated briefly that the postponement of the July 10 India-Pakistan talks on cross-Line of Control confidence building measures was connected to the Kabul attack.

But Indian officials here clarified that the talks were postponed as the Ministry of Eternal Affairs official who was to lead the delegation to Islamabad had to leave for Kabul following the attack. They said the two sides were working on fresh dates.