Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

President Hamid Karzai: China can Inspire Pakistan Into Real War on Terror

President Hamid Karzai: China can Inspire Pakistan Into Real War on Terror

KABUL - President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday said that China could motivate its long-time friend Pakistan into fighting honestly the twin scourge of terrorism and extremism.
Addressing students of a Chinese university in Beijing, Karzai said the Afghan-US strategic deal would not weaken Kabul's relations with regional countries.
Pakistan has long been accused of playing a double-game in the war against terrorism by maintaining ties with Taliban and Al-Qaeda, an allegation that Islamabad vehemently denies.

At the head of a high-powered ministerial delegation, President Karzai flew to Beijing on Tuesday morning to participate in the 12th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.
The bloc, which includes China, Russia, and four Central Asian states, seeks closer security and economic ties among its members, most prominently through regular meetings and joint military exercises targeting separatists, extremists and drug traffickers.

In comments published on Wednesday in the ruling Communist Party's flagship newspaper, the People's Daily, Chinese President Hu Jintao outlined a broad plan for SCO's future role as the region's pre-eminent grouping, while firmly rejecting outside meddling.

"We will continue to follow the concept that regional affairs should be managed by countries in the region, that we should guard against shocks from turbulence outside the region, and should play a bigger role in Afghanistan's peaceful reconstruction," Hu said.

Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan are doing their part to ensure an orderly NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan, having agreed to allow the reverse transport of alliance equipment after Pakistan shut its southern supply routes six months ago.

The pullout will also prompt the end of military operations out of Kyrgyzstan's Manas air base, addressing oft-repeated objections from China and Russia to a permanent US presence in Central Asia.
While the SCO's security plans in Afghanistan remain unclear, economic outreach looks set to lead the way.

China -- which shares a small stretch of border with Afghanistan -- is the most dynamic economy in the region and its firms have already moved into Afghanistan.
Kabul hopes the exploitation of its vast untapped mineral deposits will help offset the loss of revenue when foreign aid and spending drops with the withdrawal of international combat troops.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told reporters on Wednesday the development of Afghanistan was "closely linked to security and stability" in the region, and that Afghanistan becoming an observer member of the SCO would speed up cooperation.

Talking to Chinese students, Karzai said the pact with the US posed no threat to any neighboring or regional country. He added his country signed strategic agreements with several nations to improve relations with the world, keeping in view its own requirement.

Karzai said Afghanistan had always tried to maintain friendly relations with neighbors based on mutual respect. (Pajhwok)