In this bulletin:

• Afghanistan launches plan for 'lost generation
• India to join Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan gas pipeline project
• Dadullah says he is free man
• Afghan Taleban deny capture of commander Dadollah
• General calls drugs biggest test for Afghans
• Resurgent Taliban ties to drugs seen as global problem
• Musharraf rejects using Afghanistan as strategic depth in case of aggression: TV
• Pakistan foreign minister regrets remarks by Afghan president
• Pakistan spokesperson says Afghan stability in interest of region
• Pakistan minister dismisses Afghan president's remarks as "baseless"
• Pakistan president details plan to combat extremism in tribal areas
• Pakistan Islamist party leader in India, urges end to Taleban isolation
• Pakistan rejects British military statement on Taliban presence
• Chief Says NATO Committed to Afghanistan
• Afghanistan 'ready' for reconstruction
• Afghan Asylum-Seekers Threaten Suicide
• Editorial: Transit trade
  

Afghanistan launches plan for 'lost generation' - AFP - 05/19/2006

KABUL - War and poverty have taken a huge toll on Afghanistan's children, forcing many into armed militias, marriage or the streets, according a project launched to help those most at risk.

Despite relative stability since the fall of the Taliban government in late 2001, some families are unable to cope, resulting in an "alarming" increase in the number of children sent to orphanages, the plans says.

No child or family in Afghanistan has escaped the social, economic and emotional turmoil brought about by more than two decades of conflict and displacement, says the National Strategy for Children "at risk".

"Twenty-three years of war, civil unrest and dislocation together with drought have exacerbated poverty, which is now endemic throughout the country. "Traditional family and community support networks are stressed or disrupted.

"Many destitute families have been forced to send their children into the streets to work or beg, to workshops where labour is forced and heavy, to the fighting forces in search of income and their girls into early or forced marriage."

With more than half the population of Afghanistan under the age of 19, more Afghan lives have been shaped by war than by stability and peace, it says. "They have lost much-loved ones, homes, playmates, schools; they are the generation that lost its childhood."

Studies indicated that there were an estimated 8,000 underage soldiers in various factions in the country, most of them boys from poor families, it said.

A 2002 survey counted 37,000 children on the streets of the capital, more than a third of whom had never gone to school and about 70 percent of whom worked more than eight hours a day.

And more than half of the number of girls aged under 16 are married, the strategy says.

Of particular concern was the number of children being admitted to orphanages, an indication that extended family networks traditionally relied on in Afghanistan were unable to cope with poverty, unemployment and homelessness.

There were about 8,000 children in orphanages across the country, but studies showed that about 80 percent had a living parent, it said.

"Placement of these children in orphanages is used as a coping mechanism by destitute families, rather than as a child protection measure," the plans says.

About two-thirds of the children in institutions could be returned to their extended family, the best place for a child to grow up, if there were some support, the reports says.

The plan, launched at a ceremony of government ministers and aid groups, outlines various steps the government and aid agencies should take over the next years to help children, including dealing with poverty, shelter and health care.

It focuses on those most at risk, including children with disabilities, those who are on the street or have been trafficked, child soldiers and girls forced into marriage.

India to join Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan gas pipeline project

Excerpt from report by Indian Doordarshan TV on 19 May; words within slant lines in English

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs met yesterday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The meeting approved participation in the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan gas pipeline project. The meeting also approved 550 billion rupees to upgrade 10,000 km of roads under the third phase of the National Highway Development Project.

[Correspondent - recording] The union [federal] cabinet meeting held at the prime minister's residence yesterday evening gave green light to the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India liquefied natural gas pipeline project. The cabinet also gave its stamp of approval to the plan to spend 550bn rupees to upgrade 11,113 km of roads under the third phase of the National Highway Development Project.

[Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi, identified from screen caption] //In principle//, the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India was approved and the related matters regarding this natural gas pipeline project were settled. //With India's participation, the name of the project will get changed to Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India, that is TAPI, natural gas pipeline project//. [passage omitted]

Dadullah says he is free man

By Rahimullah Yusufzai - Source: The News, Pakistan 19 May 2006

PESHAWAR - Refuting Afghan government claims that he had been captured, a man claiming to be Taliban commander Mulla Dadullah Akhund told The News late on Friday night that he was a free man.
“I am still leading Taliban fighters in battle. I am not far from Kandahar city,” said the man on his satellite phone from an undisclosed location. It was not possible to confirm that the caller indeed was Dadullah, who has spoken to The News and other media organisations on his phone in the past as well. However, he insisted it was Dadullah on the line.

“Believe me I am Dadullah. Why should I lie. It seems they have got hold of some poor villager with one-leg and they believe it is me,” he said with a hearty laugh. “Tell the Americans and their Afghan puppets that I have 100 Fidayeen with me armed with rocket launchers and other heavy arms. They would die and launch suicide attacks but would not let me taken alive. I too would like to become a martyr rather than being made prisoner,” he declared.

Earlier, there were conflicting reports on Friday about Dadullah’s capture in south-western Afghanistan. Gen Rahmatullah Raufi, commander of the Afghan National Army (ANA) southern region, told reporters there was “good chance” that a one-legged Taliban fighter captured by his men during fighting in Panjwai district in Kandahar province could be Dadullah. He said the captured man was seriously wounded in the fighting and was now getting treatment in a military hospital in Kandahar city.

Kandahar Governor Asadullah Khalid also spoke about the arrest of a one-legged Taliban fighter. Though reluctant to confirm the reports of Dadullah’s arrest, he hinted that it could be him. Dadullah has lost one leg while fighting against the Soviet occupation troops in Afghanistan in the 1980s.

Earlier, Afghan government officials in Kabul were giving broad hints that Dadullah has been arrested. However, the US military did not confirm the news about the arrest. The US military spokeswoman Lt Tamara Lawrence said there was no information yet to support the report that Dadullah had been captured.

Taliban spokesman Dr Mohammad Hanif strongly denied Dadullah’s capture. “I spoke to him on Friday afternoon on satellite phone and he until then was a free man. This is part of the propaganda to demoralise the Taliban fighters, he told The News.

Speaking from an undisclosed location, he said Dadullah had been leading Taliban attacks in Helmand and Kandahar provinces. Mulla Dadullah’s capture would remove from the scene the most dangerous Taliban military commander.

He would be the highest-ranking Taliban military commander captured since the fall of Taliban regime in December 2001. His importance could be gauged from the fact that he was named the overall commander for Taliban military operations, a position that gave him authority to plan attacks and assign responsibility to his fighters.

The Taliban leader Mulla Mohammad Omar also appointed him to the 10-member “Rahbari Shura” (leadership council) comprising top military commanders. One commander on this council has already been killed while the remaining nine were among the most wanted Taliban figures.

Dadullah had the reputation of a fearless man. Despite his disability, he fought and led major battles for the Taliban against the rival Northern Alliance forces during the 1990s. He was trapped in the northern Kunduz province along with hundreds of other Taliban commanders and fighters in November/December 2001 but unlike others, he refused to surrender to pro-US Uzbek warlord Abdul Rasheed Dostum and instead made a daring escape to reach Kandahar. It made him a hero in the eyes of the Taliban rank and file.

Dadullah, who is around 40 years old, was one of the first Taliban commanders to organise attacks against US-led coalition forces. He was definitely the first Taliban commander to give interviews to print and electronic media after the fall of Taliban regime. Unlike other Taliban leaders who never allowed themselves to be photographed for religious and security reasons, Dadullah did just the opposite. Sometime back, he granted an interview to the Arabic television channel Al Jazeera. Occasionally, he called journalists including those from BBC in Afghanistan and Pakistan on his satellite phone to provide information about Taliban attacks and hurl new threats against foreign and Afghan forces.

It was reported that Dadullah’s name was on the list of Taliban commanders who according to the Afghan government were hiding in Pakistan. President Hamid Karzai gave the list to President Pervez Musharraf during his visit to Pakistan. The issue poisoned relations between the two countries with Kabul insisting that the listed Taliban commanders were hiding in Pakistan and Islamabad denying their presence. The fact that Dadullah has been caught in Afghanistan would enable Islamabad to claim that it was right in denying his presence in Pakistan. However, there always were unsubstantiated reports that Dadullah had been sighted in Pakistan.

Besides organising guerrilla attacks, Dadullah was also believed to be involved in sending suicide bombers to target US-led coalition forces. In some of his interviews, he claimed hundreds of men were signing up to go on suicide missions in different parts of Afghanistan. He also used to claim that the Taliban had infiltrated Kabul and other cities to carry out suicide attacks.

Dadullah’s capture will be a huge setback for the Taliban. It would not be easy for Taliban leadership to find his replacement. More importantly, his arrest would demoralise the Taliban fighters.

According to Taliban sources, Dadullah led from the front without caring for his personal safety. His absence would make it harder for Taliban fighters to keep up their morale at a time when the odds are heavily stacked against them.

It seemed the US government was also distancing itself from claims that Dadullah had been detained. According to a report, the US military spokesman, Lt Col Paul Fitzpatrick, said that after checking with coalition officials it appeared Dadullah had not been detained. The best information I have - and I could be wrong - but the best information I have is that it’s a “No,” he said.

Agencies add from Kandahar, Afghanistan: Meanwhile, Coalition officials on Friday lauded Afghan security forces for repelling Taliban militants in fierce fighting, as 20 more people were killed in fresh incidents of violence.

A 24-hour storm of violence in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday and Thursday left about 120 people dead and dozens of militants detained, according to US-led coalition and Afghan officials.

There appeared to be a lull in the violence early on Friday, when security forces across the violence-hit south conducted clean-up operations to round up militants. Dozens of reinforcements were sent on Friday to search for militants in Musa Qala, in southern Helmand province.

Among the dead found after clashes on Thursday in Ghazni province was a provincial-level Taliban commander, said police chief Abdul Rahman Sarjang. He identified the commander as Qari Naeem.

Afghan Taleban deny capture of commander Dadollah - Text of report by Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press news agency

Kandahar, 19 May: The Taleban's spokesman rejects reports that their key commander, Mullah Dadollah, has been captured. The spokesman for the Taleban, Dr Mohammad Hanif, told Afghan Islamic Press in a telephone contact this afternoon: "Reports that a Taleban commander, Mollah Dadollah, has been captured are baseless."

He added: "I spoke to him by wireless at 1615 hours [local time] this afternoon and asked him whether he was captured. He laughed and said these reports were inaccurate. There is nothing as such."

Some government sources were quoted in Kabul this morning as saying that the prominent Taleban commander, Mullah Dadollah, had been captured. Mullah Dadollah was a prominent commander during the Taleban government. He was leading the Taleban fighters in Konduz when the Taleban government collapsed. His friends surrendered to Gen Abdorrashid Dostum in line with an agreement. But Mullah Dadollah told his friends: "If you want to surrender, we will surrender ourselves to Gen Mohammad Daud because he is a Mojahed. My mother has not told me to surrender myself to a communist. I will not surrender myself to Gen Abdorrashid Dostum."

Mullah Dadollah, who lost a leg during jihad against the Russians, has also been convicted of a murder by a Pakistani court. He hid in northern Afghanistan for some time after he refused to surrender himself to Dostum in 2001 and then he suddenly reached Kandahar. Once again he emerged in the media as a key military commander of the Taleban. Now he is leading the Taleban's operations in the southwest of Afghanistan. The report about Dadollah's capture spread rapidly like forest fire. However, Afghan Islamic Press cannot confirm this report.

General calls drugs biggest test for Afghans - By Judy Dempsey International Herald Tribune SATURDAY, MAY 20, 2006

Berlin Warning that Afghanistan was on the brink of becoming a narco- state, NATO's top military commander in Europe said Friday that drug cartels were now more dangerous for the country's future than a resurgent Taliban.

In an interview in Berlin, General James Jones also warned that there was insufficient awareness of the scale of the drug problem in Afghanistan, particularly in Europe, where 90 percent of Afghanistan's heroin ends up.

"Afghanistan is teetering on becoming a narco-state," said Jones, who was appointed commander of NATO and the U.S. forces in Europe in 2003. "It is not the resurgence of the Taliban but the linkage of the economy to drug production, crime, corruption and black market activities which poses the greatest danger for Afghanistan."

But despite the growing narcotics trade - poppy production has returned to the high levels of production of the mid-1990s, before the Taliban took power - Jones said: "You will not see NATO soldiers burning poppy fields. This is not our mandate."

Jones's comments came amid a surge in violence in Afghanistan. More than 100 people were reported killed in a series of attacks that started Wednesday and continued through Thursday, among them a U.S. State Department counternarcotics trainer who was killed in a suicide bombing in Herat, in western Afghanistan.

NATO, which already has 8,900 soldiers based in the north and west after first entering the country in 2002, will in July send an additional 9,000 troops to the south as part of its strategy to extend government control throughout the country, improve security and assist humanitarian and reconstruction efforts. The fighting of the past few days was concentrated in southern provinces.

Amid the preparations to deploy the NATO troops, including forces from Canada, Britain and the Netherlands, Taliban and other fighters stepped up attacks. On Thursday, from 80 to 90 insurgents were killed in Kandahar and Helmand provinces in fighting with U.S. and Afghan forces.

While acknowledging that the number of attacks had increased in recent weeks, Jones said that Afghanistan was "not backsliding into chaos."

Instead, he said, the insurgents were testing the NATO alliance in areas where drug cartels, organized criminal groups, tribes and remnants of the Taliban and Al Qaeda knew they were going to be dislodged.

"They want to see if NATO is up to the test," said Jones, a former U.S. marine commander. "The Taliban and Al Qaeda are not stupid people. They want to see what they are up against. We are going into place where the scope for crime and narcotics will be dislodged."

He continued: "The troops which will be sent to the southern region will have no restrictions. This is a good, capable and robust force."

Britain, which under the new deployment will command NATO forces in the south, has been in charge of Afghanistan's counternarcotics efforts since 2002, under a civilian program agreed upon by the United Nations.

But Jones said there was insufficient awareness and cooperation, particularly in Europe, over the scale of the drugs problem. "Over 90 percent of the heroin from Afghanistan is for Europe," he said.

In addition, Jones said, the Afghan police, which are being trained by Germany, and the judiciary, being trained by Italy, have not been tough enough in cracking down on the drug cartels.

Jones also said the police, especially those outside the cities, were often unpaid and poorly trained. The judiciary was often corrupt, operating "a revolving door policy" in which rebels were released from prison only to return to the fight, he said.

"We have to do more with the police and law and order," Jones said. "Germany and Italy have not done enough. You need more resources."

The general said that NATO had started cooperating with Tehran in attempts to prevent armed drug convoys from crossing into Iran en route to Russia and then Europe, despite the lack of any formal diplomatic ties between the United States and Iran since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

"Iran had voiced its concern about the drug trafficking," Jones said. "Six months ago, Iran had little idea what NATO was doing on border. But now the relationship is compatible."

"Iran now sees what we are doing on the Afghan side of the border is beneficial," he said.

Resurgent Taliban ties to drugs seen as global problem - By Guy Taylor THE WASHINGTON TIMES May 20, 2006

Nearly five years after U.S. troops routed the Taliban, the Islamic fighters are again wreaking havoc in Afghanistan by aligning themselves with terrorists, poppy growers and heroin traffickers -- a problem the nation's top counternarcotics official says won't go away without help from the United States and other foreign powers.

"The narcotics issue in Afghanistan is not a national issue, it is a global and international problem," said Lt. Gen. Mohammad Daud Daud, deputy interior minister for counternarcotics. "We cannot by ourselves succeed in this war; we need international support to succeed."

In an exclusive interview with The Washington Times, Gen. Daud said, "The new challenge we are facing is the ... connection or link between al Qaeda, the Taliban, the terrorists, as well as the traffickers."

But the situation is far from hopeless, said the general, a bearded and charismatic man on whose shoulders rests President Hamid Karzai's hopes of ending the war-torn nation's economic dependence on illegal narcotics.

Visiting Washington after attending the International Drug Enforcement Conference this year in Montreal, Gen. Daud said recent efforts to eradicate Afghanistan's poppies, the plants used to make opium and heroin, have shown progress.

Poppy production was 4,630 tons in 2004, but Afghan government figures show that in the past five months, 44,656 acres of poppy plants were plowed under in a joint effort by Afghan, British, U.S. and coalition forces, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

However, according to Gen. Daud, complete eradication of poppy crops has been prevented by poor security in the country's fertile southern provinces, lack of resources for training counternarcotics teams, and the international bureaucracy of nation building.

The result: Afghanistan remains the world's largest producer of heroin's raw ingredients, providing about 87 percent of the world total, with exports valued at an estimated $2.7 billion per year, according to government figures.

With the hope of crop substitution dimmed by waning international support and war-damaged agricultural infrastructure, Afghan farmers face a difficult choice: Continue growing poppies to make a living for their families, or embrace poverty and obey the laws of the new government in Kabul.

Speaking through government interpreters, Gen. Daud said Afghanistan's "deep, abject poverty and insecurity," reinforces the Taliban's hold on the poppy trade.

"We promise alternative assistance," he said. "But the international community has not delivered enough alternative assistance to farmers, which, as a result, causes them to continue cultivation just to survive."

Musharraf rejects using Afghanistan as strategic depth in case of aggression: TV - Source: Xinhua, China 19 May 2006

ISLAMABAD - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has rejected the old notion of using Afghanistan as strategic depth in case of any aggression, a local TV channel reported on Friday.

Rejecting using Afghanistan as strategic depth, Musharraf said that the theory is based on assumptions that a country has been invaded and overrun and the government is operating from other countries.

"This can never happen to Pakistan," Musharraf told the TV Kheyber in an interview aired on Friday, adding that according to Pakistan's military strategy its defenses lie in the borders. "We will never let our enemies enter our areas," the Pakistani president said.

No one knew where Osama bin Laden was and those who say he was in Pakistan, should come up with information and intelligence, Musharraf said. Saying that Osama could be anywhere in the world, the Pakistani president, however, presumed that he might be hiding in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Referring to the past policies on Afghanistan, Musharraf said that every country has a policy which changes in accordance with the existing environment. Pakistan's present government policy was very clear and Pakistan was not interfering in internal affairs of Afghanistan, he said.

"Both Pakistan and Afghanistan have to co-exist. There is no other option. We are neighbors," he said, adding that peace and harmony in the region would generate immense economic benefits to both the countries.

Pakistan foreign minister regrets remarks by Afghan president - Excerpt from report by Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency

Islamabad, 19 May: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri said Friday [19 May] that Pakistan is saddened by Afghan president's statement in which he blamed the country for its involvement in terrorist activities.

Winding up debate in the Senate on foreign policy, he said a strong Afghanistan is what Pakistan wants.

"I will not give a strong worded statement on what he (Karzai) had said. We don't even know if he has made that statement, as it is attributed to some tribal leaders quoting him."

"I can only say that we are saddened by what has been reported in the newspapers today," Kasuri said. He said Pakistan has never and will not ever try to create instability in Afghanistan.

"Why could we do things that are against our own interests," Kasuri posed a question. He however said that Afghanistan should not indulge in such insidious statements.

"Let's not trade insults through media. You have a difficult situation there, we have a difficult situation here. Let's not loose our cool," Kasuri said.

The foreign minister said Afghanistan was very dear to Pakistan and that is why the bilateral trade has increased tremendously over the last four years.

"Four years ago our trade stood at mere 23m dollars, which this year stands at 1.5bn dollars," he added. [passage omitted]

Pakistan spokesperson says Afghan stability in interest of region - Text of report by Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency

Islamabad, 19 May: Stability in Afghanistan was in the betterment of Pakistan, Afghanistan and for the whole region, Spokesperson of Foreign Office Tasneem Aslam said Friday [19 May].

Talking to PTV, she rejected the allegations made by Afghan President Hamed Karzi and said that Pakistan had no interest in destabilizing Afghanistan. Pakistan was not training the militants, so there was no question of sending them to Afghanistan, she added.

Tasneem Aslam said Pakistan wanted peace and stability in Afghanistan as it was in the interest of Pakistan, and instability in Afghanistan had bad affects on Pakistan also.

She said, Pakistan supported Afghanistan in their elections, and it was acknowledged by President Karzai and international community also. Pakistan was not responsible for unrest in Afghanistan, she said, adding that this problem should be addressed and solved by Afghans themselves.

Tasneem Aslam said Pakistan had no interest in making or breaking governments in Afghanistan, and the fact was that Pakistan always supported the government there and kept diplomatic relations with them.

Pakistan and Afghanistan had common culture, history and religion, and the bonds with the Afghan people were strong, irrespective of the government, she added. She said, statements like given by Hamed Karzai should be avoided as they were not beneficial for anyone.

Talking about blacklisting Indian actor Feroz Khan she said, Pakistan had very generous visa policy and the people of Pakistan were also very hospitbale, but if anyone came here and violated our hospitality and gave derogatory statements against Pakistan it would not be tolerated.

Pakistan minister dismisses Afghan president's remarks as "baseless" - Text of report by Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency

Islamabad, 19 May: Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani Friday [19 May] dismissed as "baseless and unfounded" allegations by Afghanistan President Hamed Karzai against Pakistan, saying these would have negative impact on close and cordial ties between the two countries. He said though peace in the region is the responsibility of both the countries, but peace in Afghanistan is primarily the responsibility of President Hamed Karzai.

"The stability in Afghanistan is the responsibility of President Karzai," said the minister, while reacting to the reported statement by the Afghan leader that Pakistan was training militants and sending them to Afghanistan. Referring to the millions of Afghan refugees, the minister said that Pakistan was a second home to the Afghan people but Afghanistan should not be made the centre of anti-Pakistan elements.

The minister dismissed the charges levelled by President Karzai as "irresponsible" that would negatively impact the close brotherly relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. "By making such statement, it is difficult to understand, what purpose they want to achieve out of it," he added.

Mr Durrani said that Al-Qa'idah terrorists had come to Pakistan from Afghanistan and added that all the troubles in Pakistan were because of the fallout of the turmoil of Afghanistan. The Pakistan government, he added, was facing this situation and taking steps to ensure peace in the country. The minister said President Karzai had failed to maintain peace in his country as a result of which people were heading to Pakistan.

Mr Durrani said such utterances had become a ritual to blame Pakistan for every happening in Afghanistan in a bid to escape responsibility. The minister said it appeared that President Karzai had been influenced by the anti-Pakistan elements but hoped that he would soon come out from their entangle and reflect the sentiments of the Afghan people and not the enemies of Pakistan.

He recalled the sacrifices Pakistan had made for the Afghan cause and said the government has deployed over 80,000 troops on the country's border with Afghanistan to check illegal use of the frontier, to fight against terrorist and extremist elements. But on the other hand, he said the army established by Karzai government has yet to prove its worth to maintain law and order in Afghanistan. "The fire is not reaching Afghanistan from Pakistan but coming from Afghanistan to Pakistan as a result of problems in that strife-torn country," he added.

The minister said there was interference in Baluchistan from Afghanistan and arms and ammunition in Waziristan region were also coming from that country. "All the terrorists who were apprehended in Pakistan or those against whom military operations were conducted, came from Afghanistan." Mr Durrani, therefore, demanded of the Afghan president to take necessary steps to stop infiltration of militants from Afghanistan into Pakistan. The minister also rejected the allegation that Pakistan was trying to install a government of its choice in Afghanistan. "Pakistan never harboured, nor it has now, such a desire," he added.

The minister said: "And on Mr Karzai's own desire, Pakistan made arrangements in refugees camps for presidential and parliamentary elections in Afghanistan that has been widely acknowledged and praised by the president himself on many occasions." He said President Karzai has repeatedly acknowledged and praised the positive role of Pakistan to facilitate the election process of Afghanistan.

Responding to the allegation of Pakistan making Afghanistan its "military base", the minister said Pakistan has always desired and endeavoured for peace in that country. In this regard, he referred to the training of Afghan police officials by Pakistan and the recent joint exercises that involved forces of Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States. But, he regretted that instead of strengthening their own institutions, President Karzai and his government were increasingly banking on anti-Pakistan elements and allowing them to use their country against Pakistan.

The information minister recalled that despite all problems, Pakistan has played host to millions of Afghan refugees and President Karzai himself had lived in the country for many years. "All Afghans consider Pakistan as their second home while Pakistani peoples' love and care for their Afghan brethren is also a proven fact," he added.

Mr Durrani said that before accusing Pakistan, President Karzai must realize that his own Uruzgan Province has become Taleban's major stronghold. "Uruzgan neither shares border with Pakistan nor Iran," he said, and added that massive Taleban activities in that province could demand that they should first put their own house in order.

The minister said that President Karzai has once again acted irresponsibly by declaring that Taleban's chief Mola Muhammad Omar was in Pakistan as he had earlier apologized to Islamabad for making such an allegation. Mr Durrani said all intelligence reports substantiate his (Mola Omar) presence in Afghanistan and there were confirmed reports that he is working from Afghanistan.

The minister said if President Karzai believed in all the allegations he made against Pakistan then "why he did not raise these complaints before the recent meeting of the Tripartite Commission". The minister asked the Afghan president to reconsider his approach as Pakistan still wants to have cordial and brotherly ties with Afghanistan as also desired by the peoples of the two countries. But, he said that such irresponsible statements would only serve to hurt people's sentiments and negatively impact the bilateral ties.

Pakistan president details plan to combat extremism in tribal areas

President Gen Musharraf has said that Pakistan has been successful against Al-Qa'idah in the country but added there had now been a shift from terrorism to extremism. In an interview with Pashto Khyber TV, Musharraf said the Taleban were spreading extremism in the tribal regions and the government had produced a strategy to combat this spread by strengthening the political set-up in these areas. The president said Pakistan was continuing to aid Afghan reconstruction and that both countries had no option but to co-exist. He called on those who said Bin-Ladin was in Pakistan to provide information and intelligence. The following is an excerpt from a report by Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency

Islamabad, 19 May: President Gen Pervez Musharraf said the government had successfully countered Al-Qa'idah terrorists in cities and mountains and unveiled a plan to strengthen political set up in FATA [Federally Administered Tribal Areas] and back it up with Levies and FC [Frontier Corps] to end extremism in the tribal region. In an interview with Pashto language TV channel "Khyber" aired on Friday [19 May], he said the government successfully acted against foreign Al-Qa'idah operatives involved in terrorist activities in the country and they were no more found in cities. The army followed them in the mountains where they had taken sanctuaries in the tribal region and broke their communication network and they now ceased to exist as a force, he added.

President Musharraf said that now these elements were hiding in mountains in small groups and being targeted by the military operations. "In my view, the operation against terrorism, against Al-Qa'idah has been very successful," he added. However, the president agreed that there had been Talebanization and extremism in the tribal areas. "The focus has now been shifted from terrorism to extremism."

President Musharraf said the Taleban were involved in spreading extremism in the tribal region. "Extremism was being practised by Taleban. I think they have no single leadership. May be it is Mola Omar who I think is in Afghanistan and they may have linkages here but there is no common leader here," the president said. But, there were others indulged in spreading Taleban culture - those against music and television and forcing people to grow beards, he said, and added that effects of such a mindset were also witnessed in settled areas like D.I. Khan, Tank, Bannu etc, which had to be countered. "We are in a different ball game. Military operation must continue against terrorism, Al-Qa'idah or Taleban while there has to be a different strategy to deal with extremism," he said.

The president said that the government has now drawn up a comprehensive strategy to combat the menace of extremism through strengthening political set-up in the tribal region. "Military operation is not the answer against the spread of extremism, it only gains time and creates an environment. Ultimately, it has to be done through political administration," he added.

Under the strategy, he said, the entire chain of the political set-up - from the president to governor to FATA secretariat down to the political agent - was being strengthened to achieve the desired objectives. The president said that best political agents should be appointed in the tribal agencies who had a complete understanding of the area, people and their culture and traditions. "We are specially selecting these political agents and will give them special incentives," he said.

Initially, the government would select these agents who are available there. These political agents would work in cooperation with the "maliks" and they would be reinforced with the back-up support of the Levies and the Frontier Constabulary, he said while adding that the Frontier Corps and the army would act in their support. "We plan to have 12 more wings of Frontier Corps while the Frontier Constabulary working in various parts of the country would be brought back," he said, and added the Levies would also be strengthened to support the political agents.

The president said in 2000 he had thought of linking FATA with NWFP [North-West Frontier Province] and introduce the same political system that was prevailing across the country. However, the situation there has changed due to extremism and militancy and the government would now strengthen the existing traditional set-up to deal with the menace of extremism.

The president said the government would spend10bn rupees annually on the uplift of the FATA and had mapped out a comprehensive plan to ensure real development in the region. Under the plan, the government would construct roads and dispensaries and set up model schools and colleges and hostels where students would study all subjects. "This will bring about a change in the mindset and in the environment and in my view this is the best strategy (to fight extremism)," he added.

President Musharraf asked the people, especially the Pushtoon [Pashto] speaking, to carefully make their decisions for their own areas, FATA and for the NWFP as it would have a direct impact on the country as a whole. He said people of the region were mostly moderate but did not speak under threats by a handful of extremist elements. They should get united and raise your voice against terrorism and extremism, the president said, while adding that normalcy in FATA would benefit the people and open up new avenues of development in the region.

On Baluchistan, President Musharraf said the law enforcement agencies have been successful and added that the people would soon feel the change for the betterment. He dismissed the impression that the government policies in Baluchistan did not have support of the people.

Bugti, Mengal and Marri (tribes) are not the whole of Baluchistan. They are just one-tenth of the province, he added. The president said tribal leaders from these areas had kept their own private armies and were exploiting and maltreating their own people for personal benefits. They had occupied coal mines and were creating trouble in Sui and blackmailing the government to raise money and buy arms, he added. President Musharraf said these tribal leaders dislodged thousands of people from their ancestral land and they were forced to live a miserable life in other parts of the country, he said. But, the government was now facilitating people to return to their own areas and helping them by giving one tractor per family and goats to enable them have a respectable living.

The president said the government will establish writ of the law. "The environment is changing. People are returning. Their (tribal leaders') own people are now joining hands with the government and leading the efforts to restore" for peace in their areas, he added.

Responding to a question, the president said the NWFP Province had been given its full share in the development through allocation in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). But, while there had not been any real development in the FATA in the past, President Musharraf said that from the year 2000 onward, his government spent billions of rupees on the welfare of the tribesmen. The army had been sent into the region well before the 11 September events to launch reconstruction and build infrastructure, health centres and schools which was welcomed by the people.

Answering a question, the president dispelled the impression that Punjab had the maximum benefits out of the country's resources and said that the largest province was in fact sacrificing. Citing an example, he said Punjab gave water out of its share to overcome shortage in the Sindh Province. The president agreed with a questioner that the NWFP should have a proper identity but suggested that the name of the province should be the one on which there was no dispute.

Responding to a question on Afghanistan, the president said Pakistan was helping that country in its reconstruction efforts. Referring to the past policies on Afghanistan, the president said that every country has a policy which changes in accordance with the existing environment. "Policy changes in line with the existing environment but national interests remain constant." The present government's policy, he said, was very clear and Pakistan does not interfere in internal affairs of Afghanistan. "Afghanistan should be run as the people of Afghanistan want," he added.

"Both Pakistan and Afghanistan have to co-exist. There is no other option. We are neighbours," he said, while adding that peace and harmony in the region would accrue immense economic benefits to both the countries and Central Asian states. "We are trying to remove irritants," he said, and added that Pakistan would be made a trade and energy corridor.

The president rejected the old notion of using Afghanistan as strategic-depth in case of any aggression, saying that the theory is based on assumptions that a country has been invaded and overrun and government is operating from outside the country. "This can never happen to Pakistan," the president said, and added that the according to the country's military strategy its defence is in the borders. [sentence as received] "We will never let our enemies enter our areas - we are not interested in any strategic depth of any other country," he added.

On the whereabouts of Usamah Bin-Ladin, the president said no one knew exactly where he was and those who say he was in Pakistan, should come up with information and intelligence.

In response to a question, the president regretted that there had been personality-oriented politics in the country. He said both Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif twice had a chance to serve the country but failed. "Political parties have been personality-oriented and unfortunately there is a void (in leadership)," due to a lack of democracy within the parties, the president said. But, he posed a question as to how long the country would have this leadership vacuum with politics hovering around a few personalities. The president said it was for the people to fill the void but regretted that there was no democracy within the parties themselves. "There is a personality-orientation (in parties) where a leader is succeeded by their children, husband, brothers etc - it is not a monarchy."

The president said that the leadership should emerge through a democratic process within the parties that involves people down to the grassroots level. Asked if Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif would be allowed to come back, the president said they had cases against them in the courts which they would have to face. [passage omitted: further on Bhutto, Sharif]

The president said the parties should realize and bring new leadership as there were capable people. President Musharraf said he was working to bring about sustainable democracy in Pakistan. He said he wants to encourage every political party in the country but was opposed to personalities who twice had chances to rule but plundered the national wealth and practised bad governance.

In response to a question, President Musharraf said that his term as head of the state would end on 15 November, 2007 and the next presidential elections would be held as per the constitution. He said there was no ambiguity in the constitution with regard to the election of the president. Under the constitution, presidential elections should be held at least one month and maximum of two months before the end of the term of the incumbent president. Replying to a question, the president said that the assembly with the two-third majority has elected him as the president in uniform till November, 2007.

Pakistan Islamist party leader in India, urges end to Taleban isolation - Text of report by Indian news agency PTI

New Delhi, StartDate StartDate 19 May: In the backdrop of his advocacy for bringing Taleban into the mainstream, Pakistan's Leader of opposition Maulana Fazlur Rahman met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on Friday [19 May].

Leading a five-member delegation of Pakistani lawmakers here, the head of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal discussed with Singh the bilateral relations, particularly the ongoing Composite Dialogue process which he wanted to be taken forward.

Rahman's meeting with the prime minister took place a day after he met National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan and argued the case of Taleban, contending that the militia had been wronged.

Rahman suggested that efforts be made to bring Taleban into mainstream, said President of Universal Association for Spiritual Awareness N.K. Sharma, who is coordinating the Pakistani leaders' week-long visit here.

Arguing that isolation of Taleban should end, Rahman denounces the US campaign against the fundamentalist militia and wants that it should be allowed to participate in elections to allow the people of Afghanistan to choose whom they want to lead.

He feels that Taleban had set an "example of good governance" during its six-year rule in Afghanistan, and the militia was wrongly perceived as those who love bloodshed.
Rahman has said that during its rule, the Taleban ended the Kalashnikov culture and provided justice to people as per the shari'ah laws [Islamic law]" and "these qualities" of Taleban have now been buried.

Pakistan rejects British military statement on Taliban presence

ISLAMABAD, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan on Friday described as "baseless" the remarks by a top British military official that Pakistan is allowing Taliban to use its soil for attacks in Afghanistan.

Pakistan has suffered heavily in the war on terror, and it is disappointing when such baseless statements are issued which are nothing but figment of someone's imagination, a spokesman for Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement.

British Colonel Chris Vernon, Chief of Staff for Southern Afghanistan, on Friday told a British newspaper that Taliban were running their network from Quetta, provincial capital of southwestern Pakistan's Baluchistan. He said that Taliban leadership was controlling some 25 commanders from Quetta, who areactive in southern Afghanistan.

This media projection only reflects their own inadequacy to deal with the situation and they start trumpeting irrationally when they feel the heat, the Pakistani military spokesman said.

Instead of speaking to media, it would have been appropriate ifthe Colonel Vernon provided actionable and real time intelligence,the spokesman said.

The Pakistani spokesman said that an excellent forum of Tripartite Commission exists for sharing intelligence and other matters related to the ongoing war on terror between Pakistan, Afghanistan, US and ISAF-NATO. Pakistan is committed to rooting out terrorism in all its formsand manifestation, no matter what the cost is, he said.

Chief Says NATO Committed to Afghanistan - Friday May 19

The NATO mission in Afghanistan will not be deterred by a recent surge in violence there, and opponents of nation-building will be defeated, the head of the alliance said Friday.

"NATO will stay the course and the spoilers will not have a chance," Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said during a visit to Lisbon. "The operational plan is robust and the rules of engagement are robust."

More than 100 people were reported killed in a series of attacks across Afghanistan that started Wednesday and continued through Thursday. The fighting was concentrated in southern provinces where the U.S.-led coalition is to cede control of security operations to NATO by July.

Thousands of NATO troops, including forces from Canada, Britain and the Netherlands, will be stationed in those areas. "We will go in very robustly on the basis of robust rules of engagement," de Hoop Scheffer said.

"We will not accept that the spoilers _ the Taliban, the al-Qaida _ will be able to spoil this process of Afghanistan in its democratic development."

Afghanistan 'ready' for reconstruction - By Maria Hawthorne Source: The Australian 19 May 2006

CANADIAN Prime Minister Stephen Harper says the time is right to send reconstruction teams into Afghanistan, despite the danger in the country.

Canada lost its first female soldier in combat this week when Captain Nichola Goddard, 26, was killed in a firefight with Taliban forces near Kandahar.

Australia is about to send a provincial reconstruction team to the south of Afghanistan to help rebuild roads and schools destroyed by years of fighting.

Following talks with his Australian counterpart, John Howard, today, Mr Harper said it was time to begin practical steps towards rebuilding the country.

"It's not too early," Mr Harper said. "In fact, Canada – besides our military engagement in Afghanistan – is also involved in a range of other activities, including reconstruction activities.

"We believe that the long-term solution to Afghanistan involves both the establishment of security ultimately by the Afghan government itself, and also economic and social reconstruction and development.

"We believe these two things have to proceed in parallel.

"There are obviously risks but our belief is that it's important to get results in Afghanistan, and that just can't be a military operation."

But reconstruction activities had to be closely tied to military deployments for safety reasons, he said.
"We do believe we're making progress," he said. "It's all part of taking a country that was run by probably one of the most evil regimes in the world and turning it into a modern, democratic society."

Afghan Asylum-Seekers Threaten Suicide - By SHAWN POGATCHNIK, Associated Press Writer Fri May 19
DUBLIN, Ireland - Armed with ropes and razors, Afghan asylum-seekers threatened Friday to kill themselves if police try to expel them from a Dublin cathedral where they have mounted a six-day hunger strike.

Mediators, lawyers and human rights activists sought to broker a peaceful solution after police surrounded St. Patrick's Cathedral, determined to end a protest that has shut down a major tourist attraction. About 100 officers deployed inside and around the 13th-century landmark.

About 40 Afghan asylum-seekers, all males aged 17 to 45, occupied the cathedral Sunday and Monday and said they wouldn't eat until Ireland granted them asylum. The Justice Department insisted they leave the church to pursue the proper legal channels.

The confrontation intensified Friday after the Irish Health and Safety Executive, which runs Ireland's hospital system, won a judicial order that designated the seven youngest protesters — all 17 and living in Ireland without their parents — "wards of the court" whose well-being must be protected by the state.

One 19-year-old protester, Samandar Khan, said the teenagers responded by threatening to slit their wrists or hang themselves and some placed makeshift nooses around their necks when police came near. He said one teen collapsed, probably because of his fasting, and was hospitalized.

In the evening, some protesters moved to the cathedral's organ loft and threatened to leap off the 60-foot-high balcony if police tried to grab them.

"There are 10 of us up on the balcony and we can see police beneath us. The younger ones are with us," Ali Amini, 29, said by cell phone. "If they (try to) take us out, we will jump. We are willing to kill ourselves. We are very angry. We are tired and hungry."

Protesters also said they would start refusing to drink liquids, a tactic that could prove fatal within days.

The Church of Ireland, an Anglican-affiliated denomination that owns St. Patrick's, said the young protesters' threat to commit suicide was morally unacceptable and said they must leave.

Justice Department officials and legal experts said mounting a hunger strike makes little sense, given that most of the protesters have not gone through the full process to claim asylum. Most people who successfully win refugee status in Ireland must appeal against initial rejection, a process that takes up to four years.

The protesters' lawyers huddled for hours with a mediator and police commanders inside the cathedral, where most protesters read or slept on makeshift beds and rows of wooden chairs.

The Afghans say they risk torture or death if returned to Afghanistan. Some say they have links to the Taliban regime that was toppled by a U.S.-led invasion in 2001; others say they fear Taliban insurgents.

All have refused to tell their stories beyond the barest of details. Some cite fears that their relatives in Afghanistan could be targeted. Khan said his father was killed, but declined to say how.

Ahmed Ali Yousefi, 17, said the Taliban killed his father and brother. He said he was deported from Iran before being smuggled through Europe to Ireland, where he has been attending a south Dublin high school.

Justice Minister Michael McDowell ruled out making concessions to the Afghans, saying that would set a dangerous precedent and undermine the thousands of other asylum-seekers in Ireland observing the law. He said two protesters already had been granted permission to stay in Ireland.

McDowell said police want to restore St. Patrick's Cathedral "to its proper place as a place of Christian worship," but declined to discuss what tactics officers might use.

Outside the cathedral, about 100 supporters of the Afghans' demands waved placards and chanted through bullhorns.

Ireland, for decades an economically backward nation that suffered from chronic emigration, has experienced its first immigration wave over the past decade amid a booming economy. It has accepted more than 6,000 asylum seekers since 2000, chiefly from Africa.

Editorial: Transit trade - The News International 20 May 2006

The proposal to restrict transport of goods carried under the Afghan Transit Trade (ATT) agreement to containers only should be considered. One cannot ignore the fact that the ATT has been abused by unscrupulous businessmen in connivance with corrupt government officials to smuggle back a number of goods into Pakistan. Such smuggled items damage our local industry. However, this is only one issue under the ATT that has to be addressed. The agreement, which was signed in 1965, needs to be thoroughly updated keeping in mind the requirements of the parties involved. Papers need to be updated, the specifications of the cargo have to be rewritten, and other broader issues need to be sorted out. While the transit trade agreement has been instrumental in facilitating Afghan imports through Pakistan, it is about time the specifics of the agreement were updated to take into account a number of changes that have taken place in these 40 years or so.

In the new agreement, provisions should be made to check smuggling and abuse of the facility by both sides. In addition, more attention needs to be paid by Pakistan on investing in the infrastructure that is used in trade with Afghanistan. The whole process of transporting the goods and clearing them for entry into Afghanistan must be done in an efficient and effortless manner. At present, official trade between the two countries (in addition to those items that transit through Pakistan) stands at about $600 million. It is estimated that the unofficial trade is much higher.

It is expected that if the ATT agreement allows a quicker flow of goods between the two countries, bilateral trade will also grow as a consequence, which will benefit both countries immensely. This will help increase the volume of trade bound for Afghanistan through Pakistan. Such an enhancement in traffic volumes will benefit Pakistan through higher collection of port levies as well as more business for clearing and forwarding of this cargo. It is important that Pakistan makes an extra effort to ensure that the bulk of Afghan's sea imports are routed through Pakistani ports. At present, Pakistan is facing competition from the Iranian port of Chah Bahar for routing of these transit goods.

[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.]