Pakistan to train Afghan army, police

ISLAMABAD (APP) - Pakistan ambassador in Kabul Sadiq Khan has said that home work is underway to train Afghan security forces and military and police training will soon be initiated. Talking to a private Radio, he said that India has also offered to train Afghan troops but it will be decided by the Afghan government not by the Pakistani government as with whom they want friendship. He said that Pakistan have proposed to the Afghan government that it was ready to train Afghan civilians and security institution officials and Islamabad is cooperating with Afghan government in this reg-ard. To a question, he said that according to the agreement, Afghan goods will be supplied to India through Pakistan and it was an old demand of Afghanistan that its trucks should be allowed through Pakistan to India. Islamabad has given concession to Afghan drivers to enter Pakistan through a permit instead of visa on the demand of Afghan government, he added. He said Pakistan was also ready that Afghanistan could use Pakistan Air Force for air transit. Such concession will benefit both countries popu-lations. To another question, he said that it was up to the Afghan government to establish its ties with any country. But when Afghan soil will be used against Pakistan then obviously it will express its co-ncern. India is not Afghanistans neighbour country and Pakistan is Afghanistan neighbour state. Afghan soil can be used against Pakistan because we are in its neighbourhood but Afghanistan cannot be used against India as India is far away from Afghanistan, he said. Pak-Afghan border is open and people are independently moving there hence Pakistan has complaint in this regard. He said that terrorist activity has been continuing in our tribal areas and terrorists receive arms from the areas adjacent to Afghan areas. Sadiq said that Afghan President Hamid Karzai has announced that Afghan soil would not be used against Pakistan and President Karzai has promised that they would take action in this regard. He said that Afghan government will control the whole of Afghanistan and we are hopeful that due to it the situation will be normalized. Pakistan has a clear cut position and will support Afghan government in what they want, he added.

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