The agreement reached between the government and the Utmanzai tribe would prove to be a landmark in flushing out the foreign elements from Fata and curbing cross-border movement of terrorists, said Federal Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao.
Talking to newsmen after attending FC Darbar at its District Headquarters the other day, the minister said that peace in Afghanistan is equally necessary for Pakistan and other countries of the region.
He told a questioner that both Pakistan and Afghanistan were partners in combating terror in the region and made it clear that Pakistan would not allow anyone to use its land for terrorist activities.
Referring to the recent visit by President Musharraf, which he accompanied, Aftab Sherpao said the visit helped wash out misunderstandings crept during the last few months, adding the President's address to Afghan Parliament was a testimony to the fact that both countries were tied in the bonds of friendship and brotherhood.
The parliament meeting was attended by former Afghan presidents, including Sibghatullah Mujadiddi, Burhanuddin Rabbani and prominent Afghan leaders Pir Syed Ahmad Gilani and Abdur Rab Sayaf.
Sherpao said the Afghan parliamentary delegation has been invited to visit Pakistan, which it has accepted. In reply to a question, the minister said Pakistan has a substantial role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and construction of Torkham-Jalalabad Road was a preliminary initiative in this regard at a cost of $250 million.
The Quetta-Kandahar railway track feasibility study has been completed, a feasibility of Parachinar-Kabul Road, a short-cut access to Afghan capital would be undertaken shortly, added Sherpao.
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