Look for Osama in Karachi and Quetta, suggests Afghan diplomat
Washington: Said Tayeb Jawad, Afghan ambassador to the United States, said here on Tuesday that the search for Osama Bin Laden should be centred in Karachi or Quetta as the chances of his being found in an isolated area were slim.
He was answering questions after delivering his concluding address to a conference on Afghanistan organised by the Middle East Institute.
Mr Jawad did not think Bin Laden was being “harboured” in the Afghanistan-Pakistan tribal belt. He said the Al Qaeda chief’s infrastructure stood destroyed and it would not be long before he himself was caught. He pointed out that it was logical to look for Bin Laden in the same areas from where leading Al Qaeda figures had been arrested.
Reacting to an earlier speaker’s assertion that Pakistan would continue to need “strategic depth” in Afghanistan, the ambassador said it should be realised that times had changed. The day of the Great Game was over and no more games should be played in his country. A strong, democratic Afghanistan was the best means of ensuring Pakistan’s security, no less than that of Afghanistan itself. He said “strategic depth” meant a weaker Afghanistan, whereas what was needed was cooperation. He pointed out that Pakistan-Afghanistan trade last year was worth $1 billion, a figure that could easily be increased many times. There were so many economic opportunities for Pakistan in Afghanistan, one factor being Central Asia. Afghanistan, he stressed, wanted the most friendly relations with Pakistan. Pakistan could play a very positive role in the region. Any other policy would bring harm to both countries, he added.
Mr Jawad, in answer to another question, called Gulbuddin Hekmatyar a “criminal”. He said the Karzai government had permitted those Taliban who wanted to return to normal life to settle back in their villages. They had been made more than welcome, but there was no question of any such quarter being given to Hekmatyar and his kind because they had committed crimes against the people of Afghanistan. “Their day is done,” he declared. He stressed that the Karzai government wanted to bring everybody into the fold, but there would be no “negotiations” with those who were once on the other side. “However, if they want to come back, they will be welcomed,” he added. khalid hasan |
