KHI 06-12-2011_Layout 1 12/6/2011 1:45 AM Page 1
rs15.00 Vol ii no 160 21 Pages
Whatmore likely to become Pakistan coach
Assange can pursue extradition fight in Britain
Ahmadinejad isn’t Hitler, Iran isn’t Nazi Germany
PAGE 20
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pakistantoday.com.pk
Karachi — edition
With peace stalled, Afghanistan looks for more foreign aid BONN
U
AGENCIES
NABLe to persuade key neighbor Pakistan to reconsider its boycott of an international gathering on Afghanistan’s future, the United States and conference organisers said they would go ahead with promises of continued aid for Afghanistan after most foreign forces leave the country. Participants including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon vowed to stand by Afghanistan as it struggles to establish security and stability. Warning that the Taliban could make a comeback and take over Afghanistan again, the country’s President Hamid Karzai said, “If we lose this fight, we are threatened with a return to a situation like that before September 11, 2001.” He told around 1,000 delegates for the one-day meeting that his government would battle corruption and work toward national reconciliation but it needed firm international backing. “We will need your steadfast support for at least another decade” after the troops pull out, he said. Karzai insisted he remained open to talks. “The political process will continue to be inclusive, open to Taliban and other militants who denounce violence, break ties with international terrorism, accept the Afghan constitution and defend peaceful life,” he said. Karzai said he was still prepared to work with Pakistan despite its boycott and urged Islamabad to stop giving sanctuary to Taliban insurgents. He said Pakistan had missed a good opportunity to discuss its own issues and the future of Afghanistan by not attending
Pakistan wants solid outcome from Bonn moot
Participants at Bonn moot lament Pakistan’s absence g Karzai seeks world support for at least a decade, warns taliban might return g Hillary Clinton says us ending Afghan funding freeze, regrets Pakistan’s boycott g
BONN: Foreign Ministers from 90 countries line up for a family picture with front (L-R) EU representative for foreign affairs, US Secretary of State, UN Secretary General, German Chancellor, Afghan President and German Foreign Minister at the International Conference on Monday. reuters the Bonn conference. “But it will not stop us from cooperating together,” he said. The meeting came 10 years after another conference here put an interim Afghan government under Karzai in place after US-led troops ousted the Taliban in the wake of the September 11 attacks. How-
ever, Pakistan and the Taliban – both seen as pivotal to any end to the bloody strife in Afghanistan a decade on – decided to stay away from Bonn, dampening already modest hopes for real progress. The event’s host, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, insisted
there would be no rush to the exit. “We send a clear message to the people of Afghanistan: we will not leave you alone, you will not be abandoned,” he said, Continued on Page 04
afghanistan, 10 years after war began | Page 02
PM hints at starting afresh with us Gilani says Islamabad wants relations with US based on clearly defined parameters, mutual respect g Says world should respect Pakistan’s sovereignty
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ISLAMABAD
ISLAMABAD/LAHORE
ONLINE
APP
Pakistan on Monday said it wanted solid outcome of the Bonn Conference being held for promoting peace and reconciliation in war-ravaged Afghanistan. “We did not participate in the conference but Pakistan wants peace and stability in Afghanistan,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said. He said Pakistan’s absence in the conference did not mean that Islamabad had lost interests in Afghanistan, adding that Pakistan’s problems and its proposals for Afghanistan’s peace and reconciliation should not be ignored. “Pakistan would continue helping our neighbouring country in promotion of the peace process,” Basit said. GERMAN FM CALLS KHAR: Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Dr Guido Westerwelle telephoned Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar to take Pakistan into confidence on the outcome of the Bonn Conference. “He expressed hope that Pakistan will continue to extend its valuable support to peace and development in Afghanistan especially towards achieving political reconciliation in the country,” a FO statement said.
Pakistan wants to have good relations with the United States based on mutual respect and clearly defined parameters, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Monday. “I think that is doable. I think that it won’t take long,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Pakistan wants to rebuild its ties with the US despite the ongoing retaliation over deadly NATO airstrikes on its troops in Mohmand Agency,” he said. Gilani said new ties being negotiated with the US would ensure that the two countries “respected each other’s red lines” regarding sovereignty and rules of engagement along the border. While he gave few details, he made it clear he thought this was both desirable and possible. Gilani said the country remained committed to working with Afghanistan to bring insurgent leaders – many of whom were believed to be on Pakistani soil – into talks with the government and allow the US to begin withdrawing its troops as it was committed to doing. “I think we have evolved some mechanisms, and we are ready to cooperate,”
he said, referring to meetings with Afghanistan’s military and intelligence chiefs on a framework for talks. “We are committed (to reconciliation), despite that we are not attending” the conference on Afghanistan, he said. Pakistan refused pleas by Afghan and US leaders to attend the Bonn conference. Gilani said he did not regret skipping the meeting, saying “since the soil of Afghanistan was used against Pakistan in the NATO raids, there was a tremendous protest in my country and people were putting pressure that we
not attend”. About energy shortages in the country, the prime minister said Pakistan should also be provided with civil nuclear technology like India and there should not be any discrimination against Pakistan. “We are a country, where there is energy shortage, we have been talking with the US and there have been dozens of meetings... and they said the US would be assisting us in energy sector,” he said, adding, “We need a civilnuclear energy deal with the US.” He mentioned the civil nuclear deal between the US and India, adding that Pakistan was not against the deal, “but at the same time we want that there should not be any discrimination”. KHAR MEEtiNG: Meanwhile, the prime minister met Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar who called on him and discussed the Bonn conference. Gilani said the world must respect Pakistan’s sovereignty, security and integrity as no compromise could be made on it. The two also discussed the statements of world leaders, including Hillary Clinton, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Gilani said Pakistan would do everything to safeguard its security and sovereignty.
tuesday, 6 december, 2011 Muharram-ul-haram 10, 1433
Not fulfilling Pakistan’s terms may leave us high and dry ISLAMABAD ShAIq hUSSAIN
Pakistan has told the US that all counterterrorism cooperation would remain frozen until a formal apology is tendered by NATO for the Mohmand airstrike and if this demand along with that for the punishment of officials involved in the assault was not accepted in the next few days, a review process of all agreements with the US and NATO would commence and a decision would be made about the future of bilateral ties. President Asif Ali Zardari made it clear in his telephonic conversation with his counterpart Barack Obama on Sunday evening that decisions taken by Islamabad in the wake of the killing of Pakistani soldiers, such as suspension of NATO supplies, vacation of Shamsi airbase and boycott of Bonn Conference were irreversible. Officials privy to the discussion said Obama was concerned more about the future of PakUS counter-terrorism cooperation, which at the moment stood suspended and he didn’t mention the Bonn Conference in his conversation with President Zardari. “The call was made after an alarming statement by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in Lahore on Sunday in which he clearly stated that Pakistan will review all existing agreements with the US, NATO and the United Nations. Before that, Prime Minister Gilani talked about revisiting the national security paradigm, something that created ripples in Washington,” said a Pakistani official on Monday, seeking anonymity. He said Obama offered his condolences over the NATO attack and in his nearly 30-minute conversation, he stressed upon the need of continuing with counter-terrorism cooperation and also spoke about the US desire for Islamabad’s active role for the success of peace talks with the Taliban. He said the president told his counterpart that the US should tender a formal apology for the killings and award stern punishment to those responsible. “President Zardari cautioned against the delay in the apology by NATO, saying it was harming further bilateral ties and if the genuine demands by Islamabad were not accepted, the damage could go beyond repair and lead to a review of all existing agreements with the US,” he said. Fully realising the seriousness of situation, the US has opted for comparatively soft stance during the current deadlock in ties with Pakistan. Another official said the US badly needed Pakistan for its endgame in Afghanistan and it realised the loss that it would have to suffer in case Islamabad walked away from the counter-terrorism cooperation. “This is why US is trying to involve some important world nations like China and Saudi Arabia to prevent the collapse of its alliance and break up in ties with Pakistan,” he said.
The offices of will remain closed on Tuesday (December 6) on account of Youm-e-Ashur therefore there will be no newspaper on Wednesday (Dec 7).