M A I N   N E W S

Taliban minister in Pakistan
Holds talks on future government

Jalaluddin Haqqani (R), the Taliban's Minister for Tribal Affairs, points to a map of Afghanistan during a visit to Islamabad, Pakistan, on Friday, while his son Naziruddin (L) looks on. — Reuters photo

Islamabad, October 20
A pivotal Taliban minister who holds the Tribal Affairs portfolio today met with the Pakistani Foreign Ministry and talks touched on a future broadbased government for Afghanistan, an official said.

Mr Jalaluddin Haqqani met Foreign Ministry officials during an unannounced visit to Pakistan, that comes as his country shudders under the 14th day of blistering US air strikes and just hours after the first US commando raid on the ground in Afghanistan, Foreign Ministry spokesman Riaz Mohammad Khan told a press conference.

“Yes, the meetings were looking at the prospect of how a broadbased government could work in Afghanistan,” Mr Khan said, but refused to give more details.

He said he could not confirm reports that Mr Haqqani had met representatives of Afghanistan’s former King Zahir Shah while in Pakistan.

State Department officials of the USA would not comment on why they had not asked Pakistan — which has promised full cooperation in the global war on terrorism — to detain so senior an official of the Taliban that Washington is bent on crushing.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban wants to bury the hatchet with its long-time foes in the opposition and launch a joint defence against US attacks, Education Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said today.

“Our appeal to all Muslims is to work with the Emirate (Taliban) against the assaults. We are also endeavouring to get the support of jehadi groups inside Afghanistan to this end,’’ Mr Muttaqi said.

“It is time to form one front against the attacks,’’ Mr Muttaqi said, referring to the opposition Northern Alliance led by President Burhanuddin Rabbani and thrown out of Kabul by victorious Taliban militia in 1996. The two sides have been locked in a bitter civil war ever since.

Meanwhile, a Taliban spokesman from Afghanistan has claimed the US-led air strikes had failed to inflict any considerable loss on militia’s armed forces.

“The USA has a misconception that the Afghan government would have a computerised system, based on modern technology,” NNI quoted a Taliban spokesman Amir Khan Muttaqi as saying over the phone from Kabul.

“They targeted some radars, our telephone system and airports. These installations were not too much functional even before. Then, we had already made some preparation and shifted our personnel and equipment to safer places. They cannot harm them,” he said.

He said the USA was only targeting buildings, installations and the some Soviet-era battle tanks which had already been scrapped.

“They think that we are still using them. Our actual force, which our Mujahideen are using and controlling, is still intact, with no loss caused to it. We have not received any loss because we are not sitting in places which they are bombing. The Mujahideen are all safe,” Mr Muttaqi said.

Asked to comment on reports of landing of US ground troops in Afghanistan, he said “There is not even a single American soldier in area under the control of the Taliban nor would they have the courage to come here. May be they have landed in areas under the control of the opposition.”

Mr Muttaqi said the Afghans could never be subdued by force. “They (USA) should review their strategy and try to solve problems through negotiations...the attack and aggression was made by them. We are defending ourselves. If they have some problems with Afghanistan, they should solve it through negotiation and understanding. Both sides should present their views and arguments,” he said. Reuters, PTI

Dostam denies rumours

Istanbul, October 20
Gen Abdul Rashid Dostam, a key military leader of Afghanistan’s anti-Taliban opposition, spoke on telephone to the Turkish television day to disprove a report that he had been killed.

Qatar’s Al-Jazeera satellite television channel had reported earlier that General Dostam had died some days ago, quoting Taliban military sources.

An Uzbek commander, the General spoke by a satellite telephone to the CNN-Turk channel in an interview recorded this morning, denying rumours which he said had been spread by the Taliban. AFP