Friday, 01 November 2002 |
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U.S. expects anti-terror cooperation from Pakistan NEW DELHI, Oct 30 (Reuters) - The United States said on Wednesday it expects Pakistan to cooperate against Islamic militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan, despite a dramatic rise in religious parties after elections in that country. U.S. Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmai Khalilzad told reporters in New Delhi that remnants of the al Qaeda guerrilla group remained in both countries. "We are determined to pursue them, our hope is that Pakistan will continue to cooperate...and there will be no action to undermine the order in Afghanistan," Khalilzad said after meetings with Indian government leaders. A coalition of six right-wing religious parties, strongly opposed to Western influence, made strong gains in elections this month in Pakistan which has been a key ally in the U.S.-led war against the al Qaeda and the ousted Taliban regime in Afghanistan. "We have to see what happens now, we hope they will be constructive partners," the U.S. envoy who was headed to Afghanistan said. More than two weeks after the election in military-ruled Pakistan, political parties were haggling over the make-up of the coalition government, and who should lead it. Khalilzad said the United States expected Pakistan to arrest and hand over al Qaeda and Taliban figures who could be hiding near its border with Afghanistan or had crossed into Pakistan. "We would like them to be arrested and handed over to the Afghan authorities, certainly there are al Qaeda elements in Pakistan, as they are in Afghanistan." Hardline Islamic parties have emerged as the main political forces in two Pakistani provinces bordering Afghanistan.
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