Onus for border control cannot be placed on Pakistan alone: Kasuri tells Nato chief

Pakistan and Nato have agreed to institutionalise their political dialogue to build an enduring co-operative relationship. This was stated by Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri and visiting Secretary General of Nato Jaap de Hoop Scheffer following their talks in Islamabad on Tuesday.
The two sides agreed on reconstruction and development and not military solution was the key to durable peace in Afghanistan. The Foreign Minister said their wide ranging talks included exchange of views on Afghanistan where they have a shared interest in promoting stability and development.
Kasuri said he shared with the Nato Secretary General, Pakistan's social, religious, ethnic and economic linkages with Afghanistan that add to our interest in peace, stability and development of that country. He underlined that Pakistan had done more to enhance stability in the bordering regions than anybody else. Pakistan has deployed twice as many troops and suffered thrice as many casualties as the ISAF forces in Afghanistan.
The Foreign Minister emphasised that the onus for border control cannot be placed on Pakistan alone. Pakistan expects matching response from Afghanistan as each side must play its due role to combat the menace of terrorism.
Kasuri said he underlined the importance of prompt exchange of information in our common fight against terrorism. The Tripartite Commission is a credible forum for security co-operation. He said we would like to see the Tripartite Commission more fully utilised for greater sharing of intelligence and enhanced security co-operation.
The minister told Nato Secretary General that Pakistan is directly affected by the rampant narcotics trade in Afghanistan. He stressed on need to take more efficient steps by Afghanistan in this area. The Foreign Minister said that Pakistan value ISAF's efforts to assist the government in Afghanistan and the international community in maintaining security within the force's area of operation.
Pakistan supports ISAF's endeavours for strengthening the Afghan government and the reconstruction of Afghanistan and Nato could benefit from Pakistan's first hand experience with fighting the global terrorist threat.
Kasuri said that Pakistan is happy to see a steady exchange of visits to promote understanding in recent months. Pakistan also appreciates Nato's offer of training programmes for its armed forces at Nato school in Germany and Defence College in Rome. Satisfactory and useful co-operation was also doing on between the Ministry of Defence and Nato.
The two sides also discussed regional and international issues including Pakistan-India relations and the composite dialogue for the resolution of core issues including, Kashmir, situation in Iraq, Iran and the Middle-East.
Emphasising the need for stability in peace the Nato Secretary General said not only Pakistan but the entire world community has stakes in peace and stability of Afghanistan. It is, therefore, not just responsibility of Pakistan to contribute towards that end but also that of other members of the international community.
He emphatically stated that final answer to Afghan question is not military but reconstruction, development and nation building. He also agreed that the Afghan government should concentrate on institution building and fighting crime and corruption to strengthen security and stability in that country.
He spoke high of the understanding reached between Pakistan and Afghanistan during Ankara meeting of President Pervez Musharraf and his Afghan counterpart. The Nato Secretary General said that there was need to invest more on both side of the border to improve surveillance.
To a question he said Nato forces are in Afghanistan to ensure enabling atmosphere for the reconstruction and development. He also said that Nato forces would remain there in foreseeable future as reconstruction is long term process.