An Afghan woman writes a notes as she inspects ballot boxes at a poll counting centre in Herat September 20, 2005. Counting of ballots from Afghanistan's landmark legislative elections began on Tuesday after international observers praised the vote and al Qaeda's number two condemned it as a farce. REUTERS/Caren Firouz

Afghan election count under way – BBC

Counting was under way in Herat, Bamiyan, Kunduz and Kandahar, election commission spokesman Shaker Sayan told Reuters news agency. He said it was due to begin in Kabul and other areas later in the day.

Donkeys and helicopters have helped take ballots to count centres. Turn out is estimated at 50% - over 20 points down on the 2004 presidential poll. A number of reasons for the drop are being given, such as that many voters said they did not want to vote for candidates they regarded as warlords. There was also evidence many people found the elections confusing.

Results are expected next month. President Hamid Karzai has said he hopes the parliament will provide a strong focus for democracy in the country, even if a majority of deputies oppose him. Other world leaders also welcomed the polls, including US President George W Bush, who praised Afghan voters for "defying the Taleban".

In a videotape aired on al-Jazeera television on Monday, the poll was denounced as a farce by al-Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahri. He said northern Afghanistan had turned into a battlefield of "chaos, looting, rape and drug trafficking which had flourished under the American occupation". "Thieves and warlords are controlling affairs in the country, where international monitors can't observe more than 10 constituencies even if they wanted to," he added.

More than 1,000 people, including seven election candidates, have been killed in militant-linked violence in the past six months - the worst bloodshed since US-led forces ousted the Taleban in 2001. However, officials said the peaceful conduct of the polls was a victory over the militants.

Afghanistan's voters ignore threats of violence at polls

UNITED NATIONS OBSERVERS REPORT PEACEFUL ELECTIONS - By Carlotta Gall and Somini Sengupta - New York Times

KABUL, Afghanistan - Undeterred by threats from Taliban insurgents and saboteurs, millions of Afghans voted Sunday in the country's first contested legislative elections since 1969. It was the last formal step toward Afghanistan's transition to a democratic government after the American-led military ouster of the Taliban government nearly four years ago.

Whether any of the former warlords who once ruled this country succeeded in persuading Afghans to vote them into elected office is the crucial question now. Results of the vote, in which a raft of former militia commanders vied for seats in parliament and provincial councils, will be announced next month. A quarter of the seats being voted on were reserved for women, who make up more than 42 percent of registered voters.

Despite scattered reports of shootings and attempted sabotage that left five people dead during the day and two police dead on election eve, the vast bulk of the voting went remarkably smoothly, polling officials and international observers said. While there were numerous accounts of voter intimidation and tussling among supporters of rival candidates, officials dismissed them as relatively innocuous -- considering this is a country that has withstood so many years of bitter conflict and warlordism.

``We did see some procedural irregularities but nothing that I consider systemic and which would have influenced the overall conduct of the election,'' said Peter Erben, the chief international election officer with the United Nations-assisted Joint Elections Management Board. ``This was a peaceful and good election.'' He added that only 16 of roughly 6,000 polling centers did not open.

Some officials said early assessments showed the turnout was lower than had been hoped. That suggested at least some voters had been intimidated by threats of a major attack from the Taliban, the Islamist extremists who sheltered Al-Qaida bases before the American-led invasion evicted them from power after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. But it was also clear that a substantial portion -- perhaps half -- of the 12.4 million Afghans who had registered to vote actually did.

The strength and substance of the parliament will be an important test of Afghanistan's still-fragile transition to peace. The parliamentary elections, nearly a year after presidential elections last October, had been clouded in recent weeks by a spate of guerrilla attacks against the Afghan government and its American backers. The elections signal the end of the Bonn Accords of 2001, the international program for Afghanistan's transition since the fall of the Taliban.

``It's a day of self-determination for the Afghan people,'' said President Hamid Karzai, looking tired as he voted at 7 a.m. at government offices in central Kabul. ``After 30 years of wars, interventions, occupation and misery, today Afghanistan is moving forward, making an economy, making political institutions.''

Some voters said they hoped the election of a parliament would usher in the changes that the Karzai government had failed to deliver thus far. ``President Karzai made big promises to us and nothing appeared,'' said Muhammad Es Haq, 50, an unemployed man who said he survived on charity as a cleaner at a mosque in Kabul. ``If it is a good parliament they will make something of those promises.''

Afghanistan vote turnout just over 50 percent - Mon Sep 19

Early estimates show a turnout of just over 50 percent, or six million voters, in Afghanistan's parliamentary polls, below that of last year's presidential vote, the top electoral official said.

With closing reports in from around 35 percent of polling stations after Sunday's vote, "the turnout appears to be just over 50 percent", chief electoral officer Peter Erben told a news conference.

"A simple linear presumption of what the overall turnout will be is around six million voters," Erben said. "This number could change as the rest of our reports come in." "We consider the turnout this year satisfactory," he said on Monday.

The turnout for the October 2004 presidential election won by Hamid Karzai was 7.3 million, or 67 percent inside Afghanistan. The figure was 76 percent including Afghans living outside the country, but they did not vote this year.

But Erben said the turnout for the parliamentary vote compared well with elections elsewhere in the world, particularly in post-conflict countries such as Afghanistan.

"In Bosnia in 2002 there were 55 percent, in the parliamentary elections in Colombia 42 percent, India 59 percent, Switzerland 42 percent," he told reporters.

Around 120,000 ballot boxes from 6,300 voting centres were being collected Monday from across Afghanistan and brought in to 32 counting centres. The elections for the lower house of the national assembly and 34 provincial councils were Afghanistan's first since 1969, and were viewed as a crucial step in its progress towards democracy after decades of bloodshed.

The Taliban militia, overthrown in a US-led campaign in late 2001 for refusing to hand over Osama bin Laden after the September 11 attacks in the United States, failed to disrupt the vote as they had threatened.

A team of five of NATO observers said it saw "no serious irregularities" during the vote and was impressed by the level of participation. "I saw women without burqas on, they were smiling, they were very happy and they were not hiding their happiness," Rasa Jukneviciene from Lithuania said.

"The members of the delegation caution, however, that the elections are only a first step and that much must be done to build sustainable democratic institutions," the delegation said in a statement.

World leaders praise Afghan poll, pledge support - September 19, 2005

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's allies commended Afghans for their bravery in defying Taliban threats to vote in legislative elections held on Sunday and promised their unstinting support.

Millions of Afghans turned out to vote in the first parliamentary elections in more than 30 years. At least 14 people were killed in violence but voting was held in all districts.

"I congratulate the Afghan people and Afghan government for today's successful parliamentary elections, which are a major step forward in Afghanistan's development as a democratic state governed by the rule of law," U.S. President George W. Bush said.

U.S. forces invaded Afghanistan in late 2001 to oust a hardline Taliban government for refusing to give up Osama bin Laden, architect of the Sept. 11 attacks on U.S. cities.

The United States commands a 20,000-strong foreign force battling Taliban and other militants in the south and east of the country and has been urging its European allies to shoulder more counter-insurgency responsibilities.

That has led to speculation the United States might be seeking to scale back its involvement in Afghanistan, but Bush said the United States would remain committed. "We pledge the full support of the United States as Afghanistan acts to meet the new challenges ahead," he said.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair also congratulated Afghans. "I admire the courage shown by all those standing as candidates and especially the very many women," Blair said.

About 10 percent of about 5,800 candidates running for seats in parliament and on provincial councils were women. Election results will not be known for several weeks but women have been reserved 68 seats in the new national assembly.

"Once again the Afghans have shown how determined they are to build a better future for their country," Blair said. "The UK will continue to work in their support and wishes them every success."

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan congratulated Afghans for their "enthusiastic participation" in the balloting and said he hoped the counting and any challenges would take place in a peaceful and orderly manner.

"Today's achievement shows once again the clear determination of the Afghan people to pursue the peaceful and democratic development of their nation," said Annan's chief spokesman, Stephane Dujarric.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said Afghanistan had sent a clear message to the world that it would continue along a path to democracy, despite challenges.

"NATO, together with the UN, the EU, the G8 and other international actors will continue to support the government of Afghanistan and assist it in addressing the needs of the Afghan people," said the head of the defence alliance, which commands a Kabul-based peacekeeping force.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Afghans had clearly demonstrated their desire to determine their own future. He also praised Afghanistan's eastern neighbour, Pakistan, which has faced criticism in Kabul for a perceived failure to stop Taliban insurgents from launching cross-border attacks.

"I commend Pakistan's efforts to increase security along the border prior to the elections and acknowledge that Afghanistan still faces many challenges and will require support from the international community for some time to come," Downer said.

Australia sent 1,550 troops to Afghanistan in 2001, including special forces, to join the U.S.-led forces. This deployment was withdrawn by the end of 2002, but last month Canberra redeployed 150 special forces to Afghanistan.

Bush, Rice Congratulate Afghanistan on Successful Elections -

President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice send their congratulations to the government and people of Afghanistan for their successful parliamentary elections September 18.

The elections "are a major step forward in Afghanistan's development as a democratic state governed by the rule of law," Bush said in a statement issued by the White House the same day.

In a separate statement issued by the Department of State September 19, Rice said the Afghan people, by participating in the elections, "demonstrated their commitment to build a free country with national democratic institutions and an improving quality of life."

"The United States is firmly committed to help Afghans build a free, secure and prosperous future and applauds the Afghan people as they advance further on their democratic journey," she said.

US committed to Afghanistan beyond polls: envoy - Mon Sep 19

The United States will continue to support Afghanistan's reconstruction after key elections and US troops will remain in the country for the forseeable future, the US ambassador said.

Sunday's parliamentary polls, the first for three decades, marked "a significant further step for Afghanistan on the road to democracy", envoy Ronald Neumann told reporters, noting the poll was not affected by violence.

Militants linked to Taliban hardliners pushed from power in a US-led invasion in late 2001 had threatened to attack voters. "There were a few casualties but violence was pretty low ... it didn't affect the successful conclusion of this major event," Neumann said.

The elections marked the end of a three-year roadmap to democracy in Afghanistan that was laid out in Bonn, Germany, in 2001 but this did not mean the end of US and international involvement in the country, he said. "The US is here for a long time. That's the meaning of a strategic partnership," he said.

Neumann said discussions were ongoing to determine the extent of NATO's role in Afghanistan when it expands the area of operation of its multi-national peacekeeping force next year to include the restive south. The United States would however maintain a "capable fighting force" in the country whether inside or outside NATO control, he said.

Around 20,000 US troops are in Afghanistan hunting Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. There are also 10,500 NATO-led peacekeepers in Afghanistan.

Statement attributable to the Spokesman of the Secretary-General Elections in Afghanistan

The Secretary-General congratulates the women and men of Afghanistan on their enthusiastic participation in today’s poll for the National Assembly and Provincial Councils.

In the days ahead counting will take place followed by a challenge period and the certification of results. The Secretary-General urges the candidates and their supporters to cooperate fully with the electoral authorities to ensure that the process unfolds in a peaceful and orderly manner.

Today’s achievement shows once again the clear determination of the Afghan people to pursue the peaceful and democratic development of their nation.

Kabul / New York - 18 September 2005

STATEMENT BY THE NATO SECRETARY GENERAL ON THE SUCCESSFUL CONDUCT OF

PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN AFGHANISTAN

On behalf of the Alliance, today I offer my congratulations to the Afghan people, its Government and all those involved in preparing and executing the first democratic parliamentary elections in Afghanistan for 30 years. The successful execution of the National and Provincial Council Elections Marks another major step on Afghanistan's road to recovery, peace and stability.

Millions of brave Afghan men and women have today grasped the opportunity to exercise that most fundamental of human rights; to choose freely their political representatives. Afghanistan has sent a loud and clear message to the world that with the determination, enthusiasm and confidence of its people, it will continue along the path to democracy, despite continuing challenges.

I also want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the many thousands of Afghan and international election workers who have toiled over recent months on this tremendously challenging enterprise. The Afghan authorities have led this process and the Alliance has been proud to play a supporting role. I thank the men and women of NATO forces serving in Afghanistan, the NATO nations and ISAF leadership for the contribution

they have made in assisting the Afghan National Army and Police in providing the secure conditions for this great event. Finally, I want to reaffirm the Alliance's commitment to this country and wish success upon those that have been chosen in today's elections as they take up the parliamentary challenge at the National and Provincial level. NATO, together with the UN, the EU, the G-8 and other international actors will continue to support the Government of Afghanistan and assist it in addressing the needs of the Afghan people.

STATEMENT BY THE ISAF COMMANDER ON THE SUCCESSFUL CONDUCT OF PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN AFGHANISTAN - Kabul, 18 Sept

I wish to congratulate the Afghan people and all the institutions of the Government that took part in the organization and conduct of today's successful demonstration of democracy, another step towards bringing lasting peace and stability to this country.

These elections have once more demonstrated the determination of the Afghan people and their trust in the process that promises to deliver credible governance. It has further sent a clear message to all those who would attempt to impede this democratic progress, of their impotence in the face of such resolve.

Today also represents the successful culmination of the efforts of all the Afghans and international workers who have prepared for this event for several months, carrying out this daunting task in the name of democracy and freedom, with unerring dedication and enthusiasm. I finally wish to pay the highest tribute to the Afghan Security Forces, the Police and the Army, which under the guidance of the Government have effectively secured, with the support of international military forces including ISAF, the environment where Afghans could today express a free vote.

Afghan elections 'real progress': France

PARIS, Sept 19 (AFP) - France on Monday hailed Afghanistan's first parliamentary elections in three decades, calling them "real progress for democracy" which demonstrates Afghans' wish to put decades of conflict behind them.

The polls held Sunday "mark a new step in the political process," said foreign ministry spokesman Denis Simonneau. Even though the results would not be known for weeks, "the fact these elections were hold is above all a success for the Afghans, who showed their determination to turn the page on civil war and intolerance,"he said. The vote was "also a success for the United Nations."

France has some 200 soldiers helping the 20,000 US troops in Afghanistan who are battling the Taliban and hunting Osama bin Laden under Operation Enduring Freedom, and has another 600 taking part in the 10,500-strong separate NATO-led peacekeeping force based in Kabul.

The ministry spokesman said France "has greatly contributed to this electoral process, notably in terms of security." He said a French commando who died Sunday in a bomb attack on his vehicle "paid the price the day of the election."

It was the first French military fatality in Afghanistan since the Taliban regime was toppled in November 2001, a month after a US invasion ordered in retaliation for the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.

Clinton: Afghanistan a bigger threat - Bloomberg News 09/19/2005

Former President Bill Clinton said the U.S. strategy in Iraq threatens to draw resources from the ''even more important'' priority of securing Afghanistan.

Clinton, interviewed on ABC's ''This Week'' program, said the United States won't know whether the Iraqis can muster enough trained security forces to fight the insurgency until the process of approving a constitution by national referendum and forming a permanent government is done by the end of the year.

The question is whether the U.S. force of 140,000 troops is enough to meet the strategic goal of securing Iraq while helping the country develop its own police and army forces, he said.

''I wanted the strategy to work,'' Clinton said. ''Whether it will or not, I don't know. But the only thing I would sacrifice it to is if I thought we were going to lose in Afghanistan.''

Clinton said keeping Afghanistan out of the hands of the Taliban and undermining al-Qaida should be the biggest priorities because ''that's still by far a bigger threat to our security.''

Russian minister expects Afghan drug flow to grow

MOSCOW, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Russia's defence minister said on Monday he expected the flow of drugs from Afghanistan to grow whatever the outcome of the Afghan elections held on Sunday.

Russian news agencies quoted Sergei Ivanov as telling a meeting of top officials chaired by President Vladimir Putin that the export of refined heroin from Afghanistan would reach 500 tonnes this year. "It is clear that parliamentary polls will not improve the situation," he said.

His comments contrasted with upbeat remarks by a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, who expressed hope on Sunday that the elections for Afghanistan's national assembly and provincial councils would help bringing stability.

In 2001, Russia supported the U.S.-led military operation to oust Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, whom Moscow suspected of planning to establish control over its allies in predominantly Muslim ex-Soviet states of Central Asia.

However, Russia appeared later to be increasingly frustrated by what it saw as the inability of international peacekeepers and new Afghan authorities to bring the country under control. Russian officials complain that instability in post-Taliban Afghanistan has led to a greater flow of drugs, a traditional source of cash for feuding warlords.

Ivanov said last week in Berlin after a meeting with NATO officials that heroin exports from Afghanistan were 360 tonnes in 2003 and 420 tonnes a year later. He put the price of this year's expected export of heroin at $30 billion.

Speaking in Moscow, Ivanov said he had agreed with NATO to set up a mechanism to coordinate anti-drug activities of the U.S.-led alliance and the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty, which includes Central Asian states of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. "That means that we have established practical contacts now," Ivanov told Putin.

Taliban claim 51 attacks launched - By Rahimullah Yusufzai, The News International (Pakistan) September 19, 2005

PESHAWAR: Despite Taliban failure to disrupt Sunday’s landmark parliamentary elections in Afghanistan, their spokesman Latifullah Hakimi claimed 51 attacks were launched against the US-led coalition troops across the country in spite of unprecedented security measures undertaken for the vote.

Speaking from an undisclosed location to The News, the spokesman insisted 31 foreign troops and 49 Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were killed in Taliban attacks on Saturday and Sunday. He also claimed 11 polling stations were burnt down including three in Urozgan province, two each in Nuristan and Kandahar, and one each in Laghman, Ghazni, Zabul and Kunar.

There was no independent confirmation of Hakimi’s claims. The US military authorities and Afghan government denied Taliban claims. Both the Taliban and the Afghan and US governments make battle claims that are impossible to independently verify. The claims are often exaggerated

Hakimi maintained that no Taliban fighter was killed, injured or captured while launching the 51 attacks during the past two days. He stressed that no civilian was killed or injured in the Taliban attacks. "We had promised not to target the Afghan civilians and we are glad that we were able to prevent civilian casualties," he argued.

According to Hakimi, seven coalition tanks and seven ANA military vehicles were hit and burnt during Taliban attacks. He claimed the destruction of two tanks Saturday night and Sunday morning in Taliban attacks killed four French commandoes and other foreign troops near Majal village between Loi Karez and Spin Boldak towns not far from the Pakistan border in Kandahar province. The other tanks and military vehicles, he added, were destroyed in Kandahar’s Shah Wali Kot and Shahr-i-Saffa districts, Nawa and Dilaram districts in Helmand province, and in Ghazni and Wardak.

The Taliban spokesman also gave a province-wise break-up of the Taliban guerilla attacks over the past two days. He said 11 Taliban attacks took place in Kandahar, 9 in Urozgan, 7 in Kunar, 4 each in Zabul and Nangarhar, 3 each in Nuristan, Laghman and Ghazni, 2 in Loghar, and one each in Kabul, Kapisa, Wardak, Helmand and Nimruz.

Describing some of the major attacks, Hakimi explained that four US soldiers were killed when their tank hit a landmine planted by the Taliban and triggered by remote-control near Kagatori area on the road between Ghorak and Mewand in Kandahar.

He said American troops also came under Taliban attack in Khugiani in the eastern Nangarhar province. He stated that five Afghan policemen were killed in a Taliban assault in Narai district of Kunar while another six were slain in Kandahar’s Arghandab district. He reminded that district police chief of Musaye district in Logar along with five cops was ambushed and killed Saturday. Hakimi also claimed killing seven ANA soldiers in Hazartak near Jaldak in Zabul province.

Two rockets hit city in eastern Afghanistan

JALALABAD, Afghanistan, Sept 20 (AFP) - Two rockets hit the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad Tuesday, seriously injuring a guard, while police captured militants carrying explosives into another eastern town, officials said.

One of the rockets hit a mosque in a government information and culture department compound in the city, the capital of Nangarhar province, police said.

The second struck a residential area in the city, which lies 120 kilometres (75 miles) east of the capital Kabul, provincial police spokesman Qadeer Khan told AFP.

"The second rocket caused no casualties but damaged a civilian house," he said. The rockets were fired from the south of the city using remote-controlled devices.

"This is the work of the enemies of peace," he said. The term is commonly used to refer to Taliban militants who have been waging an insurgency since the hardline Islamic group was forced from power in a US-led campaign in late 2001.

In eastern Kunar province, two suspected Taliban fighters were arrested and one was wounded in a police operation launched after a tip-off that militants were taking explosives into the provincial capital Asadabad, a district governor told AFP.

"We had reports that a group of Taliban was carrying a large amount of explosives into the town. We prepared an ambush, arrested two of them, wounded a third one, and one managed to flee," said district governor Nasrullah.

Taliban militants stepped up attacks in the run-up to Afghanistan's first parliamentary elections in more than 30 years on Sunday. Despite their threats to disrupt the election, the polls were largely peaceful. Nine people were killed around polling day, including several militants.

This year has nonetheless been the bloodiest since the Taliban was forced out, with more than 1,000 people killed in militant-linked violence.

Bomb strikes truck transporting ballot boxes in Afghanistan

A truck transporting ballot boxes from Afghanistan's legislative polls has been hit by a roadside bomb. Police say the bomb ripped through the front of the vehicle, damaging the cabin and breaking its windows, but no one has been injured, and the ballot boxes are intact.

The incident took place in Khogiany district, around 95 kilometres east of the capital, Kabul, a couple of hours after polling stations closed across Afghanistan on Sunday.

The elections at the weekend were the country's first since 1969 for the lower house of the national assembly and for 32 provincial councils. Vote-counting is due to start on Tuesday with results not expected for more than two weeks.

Unofficial surveys indicate a lower turnout than in last year's presidential election, but millions of voters defied threats from suspected Taliban militants to cast their ballots on Sunday.

Our correspondent in Kabul, Geoff Thompson, says up to 14 people died, in rocket, mortar and mine attacks, while militants and Afghan policemen were killed when a polling station was targeted. However, election officials say the level of disruption was far less than anticipated. President Hamid Karzai says the Afghan people have made history.

"The Afghan people have proven once again that they know their interests, that they can work for tomorrow and that they have a vision, and they have a vote for that vision," he said.

"In spite of terrorism, in spite of the threats, they went and voted." Mr Karzai has welcomed what appears to be a strong showing by women voters in areas known for Taliban-related violence.

"I got a report... that women in Badakhshan, in Jalalabad, in Khost and in Kandahar, participated in very large numbers in elections," he said. The Afghan interior ministry's spokesman, Lutfullah Mashal, says the vote "went very well, beyond our expectations."

"After all their boasting, it's a big failure for the Taliban," he said. About 12.5 million Afghans registered to vote in Sunday's election for a lower house of parliament and provincial councils for which about 5,800 candidates sought seats.

A huge security operation was mounted to protect voters, involving 100,000 troops, after more than 1,000 people died in violence in the months ahead of the election.

US-led forces ousted the Taliban regime in 2001 but Taliban remnants remain and are continuing to wage an insurgency against the US-backed administration of President Hamid Karzai.

Vote-Counting Centers Get Afghan Ballots – Trucks, Helicopters and Donkeys Carry Afghan Ballots to Counting Centers Across Country - By DANIEL COONEY Associated Press Writer

KABUL, Afghanistan Sep 19, 2005 — Trucks, helicopters and donkeys carried ballots to counting centers across Afghanistan on Monday, although early indications suggested turnout in landmark legislative elections was lower than for last year's presidential vote.

Afghan and international officials hailed Sunday's elections as a major success in the country's march toward democracy, but chief electoral officer Peter Erben said reports from about one-third of the polling stations indicated a turnout of just over 50 percent.

Electoral officials and independent monitors have suggested that turnout was kept down by security fears and frustrations over the inclusion of warlords on the ballot. Turnout was 70 percent in the October 2004 presidential election.

The government and its Western backers hailed the first elections for a national assembly in more than 35 years as a strong show of defiance in the face of Taliban threats and a determination to bring stability after decades of war and chaos.

Erben said that Afghanistan "should be satisfied with the turnout" because it compared well with elections in other postwar countries.

President Hamid Karzai praised voters who cast ballots in schools, mosques and even desert tents for coming out "in spite of the terrorism, in spite of the threats." U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the election showed "the clear determination of the Afghan people to pursue the peaceful and democratic development of their nation."

Taliban insurgents had called an election boycott. Attacks killed at least 15 people, including a French commando, in the hours before and during voting the latest victims of violence that killed more than 1,200 people in the past six months.

But with tens of thousands of Afghan and foreign forces providing security, there were no spectacular assaults. Election officials said no one was killed in attacks near polling stations although three voters were wounded and only 16 of the 6,270 stations did not open because of security threats or logistical problems.

WE'VE HAD YEARS OF MEN RUNNING AFGHANISTAN TIME TO GIVE A WOMAN A CHANCE - Voters who snubbed warlords - From Chris Hughes at Salang Pass, Afghanistan

FIVE men who were tortured and imprisoned by the Taliban showed the new face of Afghanistan yesterday when they voted for a woman in the first free Parliamentary elections.

They snubbed the Afghan warlords and corrupt politicians and backed a left-wing reformist called Samir Sadat. At their cramped home in the Salang Pass they smiled and raised their hands chanting gleefully "Samir Sadat , Samir Sadat".

Then 24-year-old Amir Kodad said: "We have had years of men running Afghanistan and they made a terrible mess of it. "Why not give a woman a chance to have a say in how we run things? It is unusual to say something like this but it is a free vote and Sadat is a good person. She should be given a chance.

"I like her - she will bring better education for our children, encourage health support and bring in a social reform that might help the Afghan people. We have to rethink who we are allowing to gain power in this country." Sadat is one of a number of women in the Parvan province who are trying to win a seat.

Ballot papers were still being counted early today after the country voted for a lower Parliament - their equivalent of the House of Commons. More than a quarter of seats were reserved for women candidates.

Abdul Melikosal, 70, who trekked 10 miles to get to the polls. He said: "This is my first ever vote and it is a happy day for me. It is good to have this freedom."

But when he was told that men had voted for women candidates he laughed and shook his head in disbelief. As the polls closed last night, officials estimated a lower turnout than the presidential elections last year when eight million of the 12.4million eligible voted.

In a bid to spread the message, the commanding officer of the British armed forces in Afghanistan, Colonel Stephen Padgett, 45, took five soldiers from the Gurkhas on a three-day patrol into the isolated Hindu Kush region.

He was even forced to abandon his off-road vehicle and ride on horseback to reach one remote mountain village and urge its voters to turn out. Violence in the two days leading up to the poll left at least 22 people dead.

Security forces said they had thwarted at least four bombings, including an attempt to blow up a massive dam. A UN compound near Kabul came under a rocket attack, which injured one UN worker. Militants were caught trying to smuggle a clock packed with explosives into a polling station north of Kabul.

Rockets fired at Pakistan army camp near Afghanistan border - Sep 19,

Two rockets have been fired at a Pakistan army camp near the Afghanistan border in the same area where troops last week raided a suspected Al-Qaeda compound, an official said.

The rockets, fired from over the border Sunday, caused no casualties because they landed in a plant nursery near the camp in North Waziristan province, the administration official said on Monday.

"Two rockets landed and exploded in a nursery close to the army camp Sunday night but caused no casualties," the official, in the border town of Miranshah, told AFP on condition of anonymity. Troops returned fire towards the border, he said.

It was not immediately clear who fired the missiles. Similar attacks have been blamed on militants suspected of links with Taliban and Al-Qaeda remnants who sneaked into the area in late 2001 after the US-led invasion on Afghanistan.

Pakistan strengthened its deployment of troops in the border region by thousands of soldiers before elections in Afghanistan on Sunday, to prevent militants crossing over to disrupt the vote.

Just kilometres away from the rocket attack, troops continued to surround a compound that they raided last week, busting what the military called the biggest Al-Qaeda base in North Waziristan and recovering huge caches of weapons.

The compound, which includes a residence and a madrassa, was said to be owned by Sirajuddin Haqqani, a senior Al-Qaeda insurgent. His father, Jalaluddin Haqqani, was a minister in the Taliban government before it fell in the US-led campaign. Sirajuddin Haqqani fled before the raid, apparently after being tipped off.

Pakistan formally informs Afghanistan of border fencing – 09/19/2005

IRNA - Pakistan said on Monday that it has formally taken up with Afghanistan the proposal for fencing of Pak-Afghan border. Last week, President Pervez Musharraf floated the border fencing proposal in a meeting with U.S Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in New York.

A response from Kabul is awaited, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Muhammad Naeem Khan said. Reports quoted Afghan interior and foreign ministries spokesmen as rejecting President Musharraf's proposal, insisting that some 2500 kilometers border should first be determined.

The Foreign Office spokesman said that no details have yet been worked out about length and cost of the fence. He however pointed out that it would not be feasible to fence the entire kilometers border. He said their priority would be to fence those areas from where cross border activity could take place.

Replying to a question, the spokesman said there are still over three million Afghan refugees on Pakistani soil. He said Pakistan wants them to voluntarily return to their homeland in dignity and honor.

He said efforts are being made for their repatriation through UNHCR and Afghan government and the decision to close or relocate refugees camps in Waziristan, Bajaur and Kurram tribal agencies and Islamabad is part of that process.

Fort Lewis soldiers build 80-mile highway in Afghanistan

FORT LEWIS, Wash. Soldiers from Fort Lewis helped build an 80-mile highway in Afghanistan that will be formally opened on September 27th.

The road replaces a dirt trail, connecting Kandahar and another city (Tarin Kowt). Officials say the 20 (m) million dollar road will improve security and social and economic opportunities in the region. Two soldiers will killed by a roadside bomb during construction.

The Task Force Pacemaker in charge of the project includes 400 soldiers from the 864th Engineer Combat Battalion from Fort Lewis. The unit moves on to another road-buidling project in Afghanistan.

Strange bedfellows in Afghanistan - Boston Globe 09/19/2005 By Fotina Christia - Our new-found love for the communists could prove perilous unless handled with care

BEFORE ITS RISE to fame as a battleground in the war on terror, Afghanistan was known as a bubbling geyser of the Cold War. During the 1980s Afghan communists, installed and backed by the Soviet Army, struggled for years to overcome resistance from US-backed mujahideen. Now -- over a decade after the Soviet withdrawal and bloody ethnic strife that followed -- the communists are making a comeback. Running for office in today's Afghan parliamentary elections, they have assumed the mantle of modernism against fundamentalism. And in the highly unstable and ethnically fragmented political landscape, the United States seems to have found a friend in their former foe. Arguably, there is some logic to this apparent madness; but our new-found love for the communists could prove perilous unless handled with care.

Afghans are expected to cast an ethnic vote in the election, a voting pattern that risks further entrenching warlordism and undermining the central authority of the state. In a candidate pool comprised of powerful warlords, heroic mujahideen, and repentant Taliban, the former communists have surfaced as our unlikely ally against factionalism: Their candidates and supporters span all ethnic groups. And in addition to a multiethnic platform, their skills, party organization and stance on women's rights appear to make them our candidates of choice.

Indeed, the former communists -- along with some newly returned Afghan diaspora -- are the only locals with experience in running a country: They are the only literate bureaucrats around. And in a country plagued by illiteracy and ravished by decades of civil war, the scarcity of trained local officials has made them a desirable commodity. Similarly, former comrades are the only Afghans who are tried and tested in party organization. The Afghan communist party, regardless of its factionalism and shortcomings, was a true party of sorts: It had cadres, a semi-formalized membership structure, as well as women's wings and youth organizations. Peter Dimitroff, the country director of the National Democratic Institute, a leading, mostly US-funded NGO, ''appreciates the irony in his organization's support for former communist groups. ''We support all registered parties, but we support some in a deeper fashion. We like groups that get together on the basis of ideas not ethnicity or geographical background. That is why we are supporting groups like the communists with US money, which is kind of funny . . . They are good guys and well organized. They are the closest to a professional political party you can get."

In the traditionalist and highly conservative Afghan political context, the former communists are openly ''women-friendly," fielding a sizeable number of female candidates. Given the party's gender equity policy, it is hardly surprising that some of the leading women on the political scene have a communist affiliation. And the female quota -- which stipulates that 25 percent of the parliamentary seats will have to be filled by women even though they make up only 10 percent of the candidates' pool -- will undoubtedly boost not only female but also communist representation in parliament.

Laudable though the former communists' agenda may be, the risks associated with backing a former foe -- particularly one with such a negative precedent in Afghanistan -- can easily outweigh the benefits. First, our support for the former communists risks alienating the local population. UN Political Affairs Officer Eckhart Schiewe says that US rhetoric on the war on terror closely echoes Soviet justifications for the invasion of Afghanistan. ''Once again a major world power has chosen to depict the conflict in Afghanistan as the forces of good against the forces of evil, much like the Soviet Union did," according to Schiewe. ''The communists are back in business."

Afghans appear highly apprehensive, if not outright negative, about a potential communist return. According to former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani, ''some Western governments working in our country have given place to those who entered on the tanks of the [Soviet] invaders of our country . . . indirectly telling us that it was bad to stand against the Soviets, the Taliban, and terrorism."

Rather than using remnants of an ''evil" empire (the former communists) to take down the new evil-doers (the fundamentalists), and risk alienating the local population, the United States should concentrate on good practices. A young Afghan, who blamed Russia ''for everything that has gone wrong in Afghanistan in the last 30 years," attributed the resilience of the Afghan communists to the Soviets' human capital strategy. ''The Soviets offered a significant number of scholarships to Afghans and trained scores of people in the Soviet Union. These people then came back to Afghanistan as the staunchest supporters of Soviet ideology," he said. ''The Americans, if they want to succeed in winning the hearts and minds of Afghans, need to establish educational exchange programs. They should stop worrying about weapons of mass destruction and instead concentrate on building human capital. Trained people make the best ideological weapons. And this is what Americans need: ideological weapons of mass construction."

Judging by the Afghan communists' return and resilience, the United States can possibly outsmart its current enemy by learning from its former one. But to do it right, it would have to train its own people rather than rely on what the Soviets left behind. Fotini Christia is a fellow at the Olin Institute for Strategic Studies at Harvard University.

Afghan war crimes trial opens – BBC

Two former Afghan military intelligence officials have gone on trial in The Hague, accused of human rights violations during the 1980s. Both men, who deny the charges, were arrested in the Netherlands last year.

Dutch law allows the prosecution of asylum-seekers for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in their homeland. Human rights groups say that more than 200,000 Afghans were tortured by the secret service in the 1980s and 1990s.

One of the men on trial, Heshamuddin Hesam, was the head of the military intelligence service under the Communist government in Afghanistan from 1983 to 1991.

The other man, Habibullah Jalalzoy, led an interrogation unit between 1979 and 1992. The trial began on Monday with challenges from their lawyers over the admissibility of evidence and the role of the prosecutor, but the court rejected the submissions.

The two men arrived in the Netherlands during the 1990s, where they were later denied political asylum. They are accused of human rights violations including execution and torture.

Afghan torture case begins in The Hague -

The trial of two former Afghan military intelligence chiefs accused of war crimes in the 1980s began in a court in The Hague, with a list of torture charges being read out.

Habibullah Jalalzoy, 59, and Heshamuddin Hesam, 57, were accused of, "forcibly keeping people awake for four days in a row, tying people up outside overnight during the winter, kicking and beating with a baton and electric shock treatment to fingers, toes, sometimes the tongue and genitals".

Jalalzoy and Hesam have been charged under a law that allows the Dutch justice system to prosecute asylum seekers for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in their home countries.

The men, who arrived in the Netherlands during the 1990s and unsuccessfully sought political asylum, have denied the charges since their arrests late last year.

Several witnesses as well as the accused will take to the stand during the trial which is scheduled to last two weeks. Earlier the court ruled the torture case could proceed despite challenges over the admissibility of evidence by the defence.

Lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld, representing Hesam, told the court the allegations were "vague", several of the alleged victims' identities were unclear, and some of the witnesses had died since the alleged crimes took place.

Herman van Biezen, lawyer for Jalalzoy, argued that at least some of the evidence must be thrown out as inadmissible. The attorney also demanded the removal of the prosecutor from the case, saying he had illegally changed the indictment in the case.

But the court ruled that the prosecutor had not abused his powers and that the trial could continue. Hesam was the head of Afghan military intelligence from 1983 to 1991. He later became secretary of state attached to the security ministry before being sent to Moscow as a military attache.

Jalalzoy was the head of a unit charged with interrogations within the military intelligence under the communist regime from 1979 to 1992. Human rights groups say more than 200,000 people were tortured by the Afghan secret service during that period and about 50,000 of them died. If convicted, the men face a maximum sentence of life in prison.

[Disclaimer: The content of this news bulletin does not necessarily reflect the view or policy of the Afghan Government, unless specifically stated as such. The collection of articles and commentaries from Afghan and international news sources is provided for informational purposes, and accuracy of the news is the responsibility of the original source.]

Afghan polls – DAWN (PAK) editorial 09/20/05

THE immediate reaction to Afghanistan’s parliamentary elections on Sunday must be one of relief that the polling was held peacefully and took place without any large-scale disruption. The Taliban had warned Afghans against voting and threatened to attack polling stations. The threats did not materialize and the people apparently defied the Taliban in turning out to cast their ballots.

Voter participation was said to be less than the 70 per cent registered during the presidential election last year, but in the circumstances constituted both a fitting rebuttal of the Taliban and an indication of the ordinary Afghan’s enthusiasm for participation in the country’s political process.

It should strengthen President Hamid Karzai’s hands and help him in extending his existing limited mandate, although for this he may have to rely on some of the warlords who got elected and who will demand control over their fiefdoms. Smarting under the rebuff dealt to them by the elections, the Taliban may step up their militant activities. The need, therefore, to continue efforts to isolate them will remain pressing. A particularly encouraging feature of Sunday’s exercise was the respectable turnout of women.

The last parliamentary elections were held in 1969 under King Zahir Shah and prime minister Nur Ahmed Etemadi. Although a bill had earlier been passed legalizing the establishment of political parties, the king had not signed it, and all candidates had stood as independents representing various regional interests. This time too the elections were held on a non-party basis.

The evolution of a society from a monarchy based on a system of tribal loyalties to a functioning democracy is a difficult process. Afghanistan is passing through a particularly painful transition. It has gone through foreign intervention, revolutions, civil wars, rule by religious terror and attacks and occupation by the US. It will take more than ordinary effort by its leaders to stabilize the country and make democracy work.

It is the responsibility of Pakistan and Afghanistan’s other neighbours to do everything possible to assist Kabul and President Karzai in moving forward. The election results will take some time to be finalized, and the actual political chequerboard thrown up by them will be interesting to watch.

Afghan women take special joy in vote - Boston Globe 09/19/2005 Farah Stockman

JALALABAD - The sun had hardly risen yesterday over the women's polling center, and a crowd in blue burkas already waited at the door. Lima Nasser, an 18-year-old student, did a little dance as she slipped her ballot into the plastic container provided by the United Nations.

''I'm really excited about this election," she said, explaining that she had cast the first vote of her life for a neighbor she believes will bring industries, roads, and housing for the people of this city in eastern Afghanistan.

Millions of Afghans turned out yesterday to vote for the lower house of their national assembly, reflecting a mood of optimism four years after a US-led alliance toppled the religious rule of the Taliban. No major incidents of violence were reported, despite two dozen attacks across the southeast that killed at least 14 people, including a French soldier.

A handful of polling stations closed temporarily and 16 did not open at all, mostly due to security concerns, Peter Erben, chief electoral officer of the Afghan-UN Joint Electoral Management Body, told the Associated Press.

The vote, which cost the international community $150 million, marked the first direct election of the national assembly. It also marked the first time seats have been reserved for women. After the votes are counted and the results are announced in early October, Afghanistan will have a national assembly that is 27 percent women, higher than the US Congress and legislatures in much of the industrialized world.

Here in Jalalabad, 179 candidates vied for 14 seats, four of which are set aside for women. Most people in Jalalabad seemed swept up in the enthusiasm of the campaigns, certain that their candidate would bring local accountability and the development that the city desperately needs. A particularly festive mood seemed to envelope the polling stations that were prepared for women. In keeping with local traditions, men and women often separate in public life.

At the female polling station set up at the Darull-Malemeen school, women waited patiently to be frisked for weapons. Then they strode inside and lifted their burkas over their heads, revealing colorful shawls, wide smiles, and strong political opinions.

''We went through lots of intolerable eras and we want a person who can cure the old wounds and meet our requirements," said Dr. Shamsi Noorzi, 38, a gynecologist from a local hospital who came early in the morning to vote. ''In past times, women's rights were disregarded, and now we have got our rights. Now we'll get some seats in parliament, and after five years, we'll ask for more."

Elderly women with gold nose rings lifted their burkas to kiss one another on both cheeks. Outside on the porch, an army officer sent to protect the voting women stuck a branch of purple flowers in the barrel of his gun.

As the day wore on, an all-male Pakistani television crew caused a commotion by setting up its cameras outside the women's voting area. Some women talked to the cameras. Others slipped their burkas back on and floated away. ''I don't want them to film," grumbled an Afghan army commander with a salt-and-pepper beard. ''But what can I do? This is democracy."

Women have faced formidable obstacles in this race, according to a recently released Human Rights Watch report regarding the safety of female candidates in Afghanistan. Some women in conservative areas had to campaign under burka, prompting questions about whether voters would recognize their pictures on the ballot, which displayed candidates' faces and logos to assist the many voters who are illiterate.

Safia Seddiqi, a popular female candidate, was recently attacked in her campaign convoy by gunmen but escaped unharmed, according to a campaign spokesman.

Even Zakia Arsala, a candidate from a powerful clan that is the Afghan equivalent of the Kennedys, had to persuade a group of local religious leaders to remove the fatwa they had issued against voting for women, according to her son, Abdullah Arsala.

''Mullahs came and said, 'If you vote for a woman, it's against Islamic law,' " he said. ''But I had worked too hard for those votes," he said, describing how he built a well in a camp for thousands of displaced people and helped them get their school registered. He said the family invited the mullahs for a debate, and ultimately they reversed their edict.

Women have struggled to raise enough money for their campaigns, which feature billboards and glossy postcards. Candidates must also pay for bowls of rice and meat for supporters at rallies, and placate tribal elders who ask for a cow or sheep in return for their village's support.

Despite these obstacles, some female candidates have become popular with male voters. At one polling station, Najeeba Arif, 40, a vocational teacher, said it was her own husband who persuaded her to vote for Seddiqi.

As the day drew to a close and the sun dipped behind the mountains, chaos erupted at the polling station at Char-Bagh High School, about a 10-minute drive west of the city.

The male voting station had three rooms for voting but the female station had only one. Election workers were forced to stay open hours longer as hundreds of women waited to cast their ballots.

Inside, a suffocating crush of mostly illiterate rural women cast aside the cardboard booths set up for privacy and huddled together trying to figure out how to mark their ballots. Some women left in frustration, ballots unmarked, while others sifted carefully through the newspaper-like pages.

But every woman was determined to enter the voting room. Those who had not yet voted formed a sweaty, angry group around the lone army officer outside the door. Some demanded to be allowed to climb into the voting room through the window.

Indeed, hours earlier, Mohammad Ashraf, an election worker, had propped a ladder outside the window so women could leave the room without fighting against the crowd at the door. Now he leaned a disheveled head out the window, trying to breathe fresh air.

''I have never been in such trouble in all my life," Ashraf said. ''The women came more than we expected, and they are really excited. Today, I have been tortured by women."

Afghanistan itself the real winner - The Nation, Thailand, Editorial 09/19/2005

Kudos for this fledgling Central Asian democracy as it further rids itself of the yoke of the Taleban and al-Qaeda.

Defying last-ditch attempts by the Taleban to disrupt the parliamentary election, the first of its kind in 30 years, voters in Afghanistan turned out in the millions on Sunday to elect their first representative legislature in 36 years. No one ever said it would be easy.

Nine people were killed as voting got underway, while rockets were fired at a UN warehouse in Kabul.

Two would-be suicide bombers were wounded while attempting to attack a polling centre, and three civilians were injured in attacks on polling stations, while 19 of the centres were raked with small-arms fire.

It may not have been the cleanest, fairest or safest election for that matter, but the fact that at least 50 per cent of all eligible voters did turn out was as good a start as any to a struggling democracy.

The people of Afghanistan did not let the world community down, and for that reason alone, we must not let them down in turn.

The high proportion of the nearly 12.5 million eligible voters who cast their ballots is proof that yet another fledgling step along the difficult path to democracy, launched after the repressive Taleban regime fell in 2001, has been taken.

And the war-torn country has indeed come a long way since those recent dark days. From what was billed as a failed state just four years ago, Afghanistan today has overcome great odds to reach where it is now. On Sunday, the entire strife-torn society found representation on the ballots – women, warlords and former Taleban were all included in the lists of candidates.

President Hamid Karzai proudly proclaimed to the world, "We are making history." And significantly, he correctly praised the act of women daring to vote as a "very, very positive step".

The European Union called the election a "milestone on the road to peace and stability", while Nato, which runs the peace-keeping International Security Assistance Force, applauded those who turned out to cast their ballot.

"Afghanistan has sent a loud and clear message to the world that with the determination, enthusiasm and confidence of its people, it will continue along the path to democracy, despite continuing challenges," Nato secretary-general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said in a statement.

Besides the election officers and courage of the Afghan voters, aid workers and the security forces deserve a large amount of praise for helping to curb more serious attacks and making this election possible.

But the world community would do well to remember this is but the beginning of a long and difficult road that still lies ahead.

No single election is an end in itself. Democracy must be nurtured, its spirit permitted to grow, or else it is just an artificial framework that powerful players use to justify any of their actions.

Moreover, a rise in Taleban-linked violence has left more than 1,000 dead this year, including seven electoral candidates, serving to emphasise that the Taleban should not be counted out just yet and that security is still not up to the level that it really needs to be.

The international community has an obligation to ensure that Afghanistan succeeds in this heroic endeavour. The world has invested far too much financial and human capital to see Afghanistan retreat back into the Taleban Stone Age or the time when self-centred warlords slugged it out among themselves, reducing much of this Central Asian nation to rubble.

Even at this late date, one need not look far at all to see the political costs of a neglected Afghanistan. First, there was the bloody civil war that left the capital of Kabul in tatters, and afterwards it was the Taleban, along with its radical interpretation of Islam. Afterwards, it was al-Qaeda and that group's evil political agenda – in the name of Islam, as with the Taleban – violating all norms of human decency.

The remnants of all of these periods in Afghanistan's recent bloody history remain evident, both upcountry and in Kabul. We hope that the weekend's parliamentary election has signalled a sea change in that land-locked country's fortunes.

More talks needed on Israel ties: Musharraf - ‘Bush has assured to facilitate Indo-Pak peace’ (PAK media)

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: President Pervez Musharraf told an Israeli newspaper on Monday Israel and Pakistan should hold further discussions on forging diplomatic relations.

Musharraf made his comments to the English-language Jerusalem Post daily. "We need to sit down and talk more (with the Israelis) and see how to move forward," he told the newspaper, before a ground-breaking meeting with US Jewish leaders in New York on Sunday. "We ought to be taking more steps."

Musharraf has said that official ties with Israel could not come until the creation of a Palestinian state. He told US Jewish leaders that granting the Palestinians statehood would also help stop terrorism.

Responding to a question regarding the impact of his address to the Wold Jewish Council, the president said, "In my opinion it is very positive." It is extremely positive here in the Jewish community, the president said, adding he also has the information that there are very positive effects of this development in Israel.

About the impact of this move in Pakistan, he said earlier when Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri met his Israeli counterpart and when his schedule to address the Jewish Conference was announced, the feedback was very positive.

"I expect similar response after addressing the Jewish Conference," he added. The president said this approach would yield very positive results in favour of Pakistan and the just cause of Palestinians.

He said the government and people of Pakistan bear emotional and sentimental attachment with the people of Palestine. Pakistan being an important member of the Islamic world is bound to play its due role for the solution of the Palestine issue. "That is what we are doing."

He said there do come the floating opportunities for taking decisions and Pakistan is taking right decisions at the right time. Musharraf said the regional situation vis-a-vis Indo-Pak relations also came under discussion during his meeting with US President George W Bush.

He said the US president was asked to use his influence to move the composite dialogue process forward so that both the countries could bilaterally settle their disputes. The US president has ensured that he was supportive of composite dialogue and will play his role to facilitate the forward movement of process, he said.

Asked how he would like to be remembered by the people, the president said: "My priority is Pakistan". "I want to see a respectable, internally stable, economically strong Pakistan," where the problems of poverty, unemployment, education and health are addressed.

"These are my objectives which I would like to achieve and be remembered by the people of Pakistan," the president wished.

In another interview, Musharraf told Geo Television that both India and Pakistan are committed to take the composite dialogue process forward. It is, however, an early stage to make the progress public, Musharraf said in comments telecast on Monday.

He said the process is moving forward and whenever there would be a concrete and solid advance, it would be made public. There are some confidentialities regarding the viewpoint of both the parties, he said, adding, "The discussion is going on and there is no blockage".

Musharraf said the communique issued after his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh could not be termed disappointing. "It is only the time that will tell how far the two sides are sincere in resolving the issues," he said.

He said some headway relating to peace process has been made during the meeting. He said Pakistan was a leading country of Muslim Ummah and it was our moral duty and responsibility that we carry forward the Palestinian cause.

President Musharraf said military issues, Afghanistan situation, military coordination and cooperation against al Qaeda and Taliban besides improved military assistance would also come under discussions during his meeting with US Centcom officials.

He said the Indian foreign minister will visit Pakistan and there will be more discussion during his visit. The president said he has invited Indian Prime Minister to visit Pakistan which the latter has accepted, adding all these moves are focused to keep the dialogue process moving towards its final destination.

KGB book claims spark India row - BBC

There has been angry reaction within India's governing Congress party to claims the KGB infiltrated Indira Gandhi's government in the 1970s. A former KBG official says in a new book that the Soviet intelligence agency had an extensive network of contacts in the government.

Congress party spokesmen say the allegations in the book are baseless and not worth commenting on. Mrs Gandhi led three Congress governments before being assassinated.

Excerpts of the new book, The Mitrokhin Archive II: The KGB and the World, were widely published in the Indian press on Sunday.

In the book, ex-KGB worker Vasili Mitrokhin says the intelligence agency bribed Indian officials with millions of dollars, and used agents to persuade Mrs Gandhi to declare a state of emergency in 1975.

"We had scores of sources throughout the Indian government," the book quotes former KGB general Oleg Kalugin as saying. "It seemed like the entire country was for sale."

[Disclaimer: The content of this news bulletin does not necessarily reflect the view or policy of the Afghan Government, unless specifically stated as such. The collection of articles and commentaries from Afghan and international news sources is provided for informational purposes, and accuracy of the news is the responsibility of the original source.]