Pakistan said on Friday it was willing to assist talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, and Nato confirmed its forces had helped ensure a senior Taliban commander reached Kabul. Nato and US officials have said they are ready to do more to help Afghan President Hamid Karzai's reconciliation efforts with the Taliban, but Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the talks must be led by Afghanistan itself."We are there to facilitate. Because we want to see a stable, peaceful Afghanistan. It's in Pakistan's interest to have stability and peace in Afghanistan," Qureshi said in Brussels before talks on Pakistan's economic development.
| "Specifically, a peaceful and stable Afghanistan completely subordinate to Pakistan. We'll start to feel satisfied when our Taliban are in charge in Kabul once again." |
| I understand he drew the line at nuking New Delhi, however. |
Pakistan's backing for talks is important. Although it is officially an ally in Nato's campaign against militancy in Afghanistan, it has been accused of playing a double game by covertly supporting militants fighting there. Islamabad was the main backer of the Taliban when it was in power in Afghanistan, and has been concerned by the influence its nuclear-armed rival India has on the Kabul government.