Now Pakistan wants ‘moderate Taliban’ in Afghan government
January 29th, 2010 - 3:42 pm ICT by IANS
London, Jan 29 (IANS) Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi says moderate elements of the Taliban should be taken into the Afghan government.
In the process, a “wedge” could be driven between moderates and hardliners, he said.
“Get them into the mainstream, give them a respectable share in power, it will add to stability,” he told the BBC Thursday.
Qureshi’s remarks came as a London conference on Afghanistan established a multi-million dollar trust fund aimed at winning over militant foot soldiers who renounce the Taliban and violence.
He rejected the suggestion that giving the Taliban a role in Kabul might encourage the Taliban in Pakistan.
“I think it will create a wedge between the hard core and the moderates,” he said.
“We in Pakistan have carried out our own national effort. Today in Pakistan people are convinced that this element which wants to Taliban-ise Pakistan is not in line with the overwhelming majority of people in Pakistan,” he added.
- Krishna heads to Kabul, meeting with Clinton likely - Jul 19, 2010
- Krishna to meet Clinton in Kabul Tuesday; no meeting with Qureshi (Lead) - Jul 19, 2010
- India, Afghanistan to jointly combat terror (Lead) - Feb 03, 2011
- NATO fears Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan - Jul 21, 2010
- India ok with reconciliation with Taliban, opposes power-sharing - May 23, 2011
- Pakistan-Multiple Crises (Part II) - Jan 06, 2011
- Krishna to leave for Kabul Monday, likely to meet Clinton - Jul 18, 2010
- 'Afghan reconciliation talks with Taliban in "final stage"' - Dec 04, 2010
- India reminds Britain of ISI's role in Afghanistan - Jul 28, 2010
- BJP warns against talks with Taliban - Mar 29, 2010
- Krishna, Clinton discuss Obama visit, India-Pakistan talks - Jul 20, 2010
- US never asked India to scale down in Afghanistan: sources - Mar 19, 2010
- War no solution to Afghan crisis: Qureshi - Jun 25, 2010
- Jehadis want an India-Pakistan nuke war: Hiro - Nov 16, 2011
- Pakistan helping Afghan Taliban: Report - Feb 01, 2012
Tags: afghan government, afghanistan, bbc, foot soldiers, foreign minister, hard core, jan 29, kabul, london conference, london jan, mahmood qureshi, mainstream, moderate elements, national effort, overwhelming majority, pakistan, shah mahmood, taliban, trust fund, violence
