President Hamid Karzai said Tuesday that he had won assurances from Pakistan that it would try to stem the violent cross-border attacks that Taliban and other rebels have been carrying out against Afghanistan in recent months. "Pakistan is a brother of ours, and as a brother, Pakistan will do all to help Afghanistan to attain the best levels of safety and security," Karzai said at a news conference with Pakistan's prime minister, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, during a state visit to Islamabad. "That kind of assurance I have from Pakistan."
| And if you can't rely on Pakistan, who can you rely on? |
Karzai said that while thousands of former Taliban fighters in Afghanistan could be left alone, "certain key leaders" must be apprehended. "I am sure Pakistan will help Afghanistan in that regard," he said.
| Cert'nly. Cert'nly. They're gonna get right on it... |
Karzai also met with President Pervez Musharaff. "We will fight terrorism all the way," Musharaff said after their meeting. "We are mutually complementing each other to tackle the problems."
| "Yeah, buddy. Ain't nobody fights terrorism quite like we do." |
For all the brotherly talk in front of the press, Afghan government officials have become increasingly angered by attacks by supporters of the Taliban, and other opponents such as the renegade mujahidin commander, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who are widely believed to be orchestrating a campaign from Pakistan to destabilize the Afghan government. |