MUSHARRAF: MULLAH OMAR IN AFGHANISTAN

Mullah Omar marshalling Taliban from Afghanistan: Musharraf

NEW YORK: President General Pervez Musharraf has said that Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar is not in Pakistan rather he is leading Taliban while sitting in Kandahar (Afghanistan).

Speaking at a function held under the Clinton Global Initiative on Wednesday, the president said Taliban have again emerged because of the presence of allied forces in Afghanistan. The Afghan people never accepted foreign invasion that is why they have united against these forces but all the Pakhtoons are not Taliban.

Former US President Bill Clinton and US First Lady Laura Bush too addressed the gathering. In his address President General Pervez Musharraf said that though the country was with the West during the cold war era and is the biggest ally in the war against terror still there are lots of misunderstandings regarding Pakistan.

President Musharraf said that besides military action in these areas a strategy has been developed so that the local people should be refrained from joining Taliban.

He said that the government of Pakistan did not set any accord with Taliban. The peace accord was set with the local people of North Waziristan that they would not allow any kind of movement of Taliban in the region. The government is trying to set such kind of accord in South Waziristan and then in Afghanistan.

He told that some of the Taliban tried to enter Pakistan from Afghanistan on Tuesday but the locals handed over these Taliban to security forces.

Commenting on Pope Benedicts remarks about Islam, he said Pope’s remarks about Islam has raised deep concern across the Muslim World adding that the remarks were deeply unnecessary.

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President General Pervez Musharraf said that in addition to understanding terrorism, extremism needs to be understood as well as it is equally dangerous as is terrorism.

President General Pervez Musharraf said that after Al-Qaeda our focus is on Taliban as it is a bigger danger than Al-Qaeda as they have roots amongst the masses.

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We are doing away with Talibanization from the society. President General Pervez Musharraf said that Pakistan is the sole country in the world that understood the problems and than chalked out a strategy.

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He stressed the world community to take steps to resolve important issues like Palestine and Kashmir to root out terrorism and for durable peace in the world.

He stressed the need to put an end to the baseless propaganda against Islam and reiterated that Islam is the religion of peace and harmony. He said that publication of caricatures of Holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH) in some European magazines and recently pope’s remarks against Islam disrupted Muslims all over the world.

He added that such kind of activities must be avoided to create harmony between different religions of the world.


Pertinent Links:

1) Mullah Omar marshalling Taliban from Afghanistan: Musharraf


The Taleban responds:

Taliban condemn Musharraf`s remarks
JALALABAD: Taliban have condemned remarks of the Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf about the movement.

Addressing the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee on September 12 President Pervez Musharraf said that Taliban had overtaken Al Qaeda as the region’s biggest threat to security.

Taliban were more dangerous because they had roots as a social movement and not simply an ideology. Linking Taliban movement with Pakhtun society, the president said Taliban had roots in Afghanistan.

Dr Mohammad Hanif, the purported spokesman for Taliban, told Pajhwok Afghan News via telephone the movement was not only linked with Pakhtun but with all Afghans.

Relating Taliban with Pakhtuns and Tajiks was a clear interference in the internal affairs of the Afghanistan.

He said: "Pakistan has a problem that it intervenes and take part in every matter." Musharraf remarks would have no affect on their movement, he contended.

Meanwhile, Meshrano Jirga (upper house) has also rejected President Musharraf’s remarks.

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Pertinent Links:

1) Mullah Omar marshalling Taliban from Afghanistan: Musharraf

2) Taliban condemn Musharraf`s remarks