Pak Army, ISI chief accompanied Sirajuddin Haqqani during meeting with Karzai
June 28th, 2010 - 2:10 pm ICT by ANI
Lahore, June 28 (ANI): Nothwithstanding US objections, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has reportedly held a face-to-face meeting with the Haqqani network chief Sirajuddin Haqqani to push forward the reconciliation effort.
Al-Jazeera television channel quoted sources as saying that Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Shuja Pasha had accompanied Haqqani to the meeting, which took place earlier this week.
“With the US planning to start withdrawing troops by July 2011, Karzai may be cozying up to Islamabad,” the channel’s Kabul based correspondent said.
However, both the Karzai’s office and the Pakistan Army have denied any such meeting having taking place.
The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas said he has “no knowledge of such meeting,” The Daily Times reports.
While US officials have acknowledged that reconciliation with some top ranking Taliban fighters will most likely be necessary for peace, they have strongly objected to any power-sharing deal with such Afghan Taliban leaders as Sirajuddin Haqqani and his father, Jalaluddin, or with the Taliban warlord Mullah Muhammad Omar.
On the other hand, Islamabad and Afghan President Hamid Karzai are of the view that with the United States scheduled to begin pulling out of Afghanistan next year, it is necessary to work out a coalition involving the Taliban. (ANI)
- Kayani rubbishes reports about organising 'secret' Karzai-Haqqani meeting - Jul 02, 2010
- Pak ready to support any Afghan-led peace initiative: Qureshi - Jun 30, 2010
- Worried US 'skeptical' over Pak's Afghan reconciliation efforts - Jun 28, 2010
- Amid Pakistani moves, Krishna to attend Kabul meet - Jul 10, 2010
- India alerts Afghanistan about the Haqqani network - Jul 02, 2010
- Pak facilitating Afghan-Taliban secret meetings for own strategic advantage: Editorial - Nov 02, 2010
- Afghanistan dismisses reports of Karzai's secret Taliban meeting - Jun 28, 2010
- ISI certainly has links with Taliban, but nature not clear yet: Petraeus - Jun 30, 2010
- US crackdown on Haqqani network to make Karzai's reconciliation task tougher - Jul 23, 2010
- Pakistan trying to sidestep US to safeguard own interests in Afghanistan: NYT - Apr 19, 2011
- Gilani calls for Af-Pak cooperation in war on terror (Second Lead) - Apr 16, 2011
- Karzai holds 'secret talks' with Taliban to contain Haqqani network - Nov 01, 2010
- Pak's attempted deal between US, Afghan Taliban fraught with risk over Haqqani's role - Sep 27, 2010
- Pakistan cannot continue to be safe haven for terror: US - Sep 21, 2011
- Karzai's willingness to talk to Taliban gratifies US - Feb 22, 2012
Tags: afghanistan president hamid, al jazeera, army chief, ashfaq, athar, chief general, hamid karzai, haqqani, inter services, isi chief, jalaluddin, kayani, mullah muhammad omar, pak army, pakistan army, parvez, president hamid karzai, shuja, taliban fighters, television channel