NATO delegation holds terror talks in Pakistan

PAKISTAN: NATO officials Wednesday held talks with Pakistan’s foreign minister on the fight against terrorism and the continuing unrest in Afghanistan, a foreign ministry statement said.

The visit comes at a time when Pakistan is under extreme pressure from its western allies to prevent militants in its lawless tribal regions launching attacks on NATO and US-led forces across the border.

An eight-member delegation of the NATO parliamentary assembly, led by its vice president Karl Lamers, “deeply appreciated” Pakistan’s role during a meeting with foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri, the statement said.

The delegation “said that Pakistan was an important ally of the West and was playing a critical role in regional peace, security and development,” it added.

Kasuri “appreciated the ongoing cooperation between Pakistan and NATO in the context of Afghanistan,” the statement said.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force has 37,000 troops in Afghanistan, while there are also around 14,000 troops in the US-led coalition focussed on counterterrorism tasks.

Kasuri informed the delegation about Pakistan’s commitment to continue the fight against terrorism and said that some 80,000 troops had been deployed along the border with Afghanistan, the statement said.

Islamabad, Thursday, AFP