UK for closer Pak-Afghan relations to combat terrorist: minister

The United Kingdom has emphasized the need for closer cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan to discourage terrorist activity, along the 2,400 km long Pak-Afghan porous border.

British Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Kim Howells said he met the leaders and high-level government officials and got briefing on issues concerning peace and security when he visited Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to the report of local newspaper The Nation on Sunday.

The minister dispelled the impression that Pakistan is not doing enough to curb terror activities along the Pak-Afghan border, asking international community to come and see how difficult it is to monitor movement along the long and porous border.

He said the border area between Pakistan's southwest Balochistan and Helmand province in Afghanistan is one of the remotest places of the world, mostly drug smugglers, terrorists and gangsters take refuge there.

They don't get caught easily and for that reason closer cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan is required, he said.

He rejected the notion that it is only Talibans who are shooting at the Afghan soldiers and International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) in Helmand province, which is closer to Balochistan. There are also drug barons, warlords, smugglers, and gangsters of all sorts who are attacking these forces.

Source: Xinhua