British and American troops would "not be welcome in Pakistan", visiting Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told Sky News on Saturday. Qureshi told Alistair Bunkall that allied troops were not required to help secure the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"The security (of foreign troops) would become an issue. They'd be unwelcome not just by the government but by the people. It would be unproductive. We are of the view that our troops are capable of dealing with the situation. But we have to focus on the unwanted element that want to slip in." There is feeling among Western governments that if the war in Afghanistan is to be successful, then the tribal areas must be made secure and militants must be prevented from launching attacks in both countries.
Pakistan has already committed 100,000 troops to the area and created one thousand manned border crossings. "We have floated some ideas with the Afghan government, but we feel an equal response should come from other side of the border," said Qureshi. "We would like to see allied troops manning the border effectively, but on the other side, in Afghanistan."
Recently governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan have fallen out, with Hamid Karzai, Afghan President, blaming his neighbours for terrorist attacks in his country.
But Qureshi disputes that. "When Hamid Karzai makes that statement, he should also look at the construction efforts Pakistan has made in Afghanistan," he said. "I think knee-jerk reactions and such statements do not enable an environment of co-operation."
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