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Pakistan, Afghanistan facing common challenge: President
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Archived |
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Wednesday, March 10, 2010
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ISLAMABAD, Mar 10 (APP): President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday termed terrorism a common challenge to Pakistan and Afghanistan and called for joint efforts and enhanced cooperation to fight this menace. “Every second day either it is my children who are dying, my brothers, my sisters who are dying or it is your sisters or brothers who are dying”, the President said while speaking at a banquet he hosted in honor of his Afghan counterpart here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr.
Besides the Afghan delegation, the dinner was also attended by Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, the Chairman Senate, Governor NWFP, Chief Minister Balochistan, the Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Air Staff, federal ministers, parliamentarians and diplomats. President Zardari said owing the situation in the region the whole world was looking towards the region. “These are strange and difficult times for the world. The whole region is thinking and looking forward to what is going to happen next”, he remarked and called for joint efforts and cooperation to tackle the issues facing the two countries. “I don’t think the world has a plan but we together speaking from the same page, thinking together can show them the way”, he added.
The President said despite lot of efforts and experiments by the world in this region, there was not much success. “They have been in our region for a long time. They have tried many experiments, some of them may have been successful, but by and large we cannot say that things have improved to a greater extent”, he remarked.
President Zardari said Pakistan and Afghanistan are the same nations as half of them were inter-twined in blood relations. “There is lot of pain. It needs caring, it needs our attention and of the world,” he added. The President said the world’s intention was fair. “They mean well, they want to help us. But somewhere in between they have not been able to find a formula. We have not been able to find a plan”, he remarked.
President Zardari said, “We have been asking from Pakistan, we have been requesting the world for a Marshall plan like that after the World War II. I feel Afghanistan too needs such a plan”. He said that the money being spent on wars can be spent for progress and prosperity of the region and for better relations in the world. “If we sum up the money spent in the wars and calculate the same amount spent in the positive, I think it would bring much better prosperity to the region and better relations with the world,” he remarked.
President Zardari said there was a sense of realization in Pakistan and Afghanistan that “if we cannot do something today, tomorrow will be too late”. He said leaving aside whatever has happened in the past, “Let us begin again. Let start again. We are neighbours and we cannot change our geography”.
President Hamid Karzai in his remarks also stressed the need for increased cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan to achieve peace and prosperity in Afghanistan and the region. “There is only one way towards peace and prosperity in Afghanistan and that is through the depth of brotherhood and friendship between Pakistan and Afghanistan.” “Only two of us can help each other and only the two of us can make it for the generations to come”, he remarked.
President Karzai referred to some conversation about the children of Aafia Siddiqi during the talks which he said changed his mind to speak other than the prepared statement.
“I had a prepared statement but in the event during bilateral talks I changed my mind about it. That event was a little conversation between us about two children of Aafia Siddiqui,....who are probably in Afghanistan.” The Afghan President said that he had sent the elder boy of Aafia Siddiqui back to Pakistan soon after he knew that he was in Afghanistan. However, he added, “Hearing of the two other children I was struck with emotions and I am still under that impression”, he said and added, “this tragedy of the two children brings us to the tragedy of two countries, sufferings of the two countries”.
“Indeed I can mention in your (President Zardari’s) words that everyday there are our brothers, sisters and children who are dying in both countries,” he remarked.
President Karzai said Pakistan and Afghanistan share not only the pains and sorrows, but also joys together. He assured all out support of Afghanistan to Pakistan in the fight against terrorism.
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