Brussels, Nov 19: Pakistan's Army Chief vowed on Wednesday
to keep NATO's supply line to Afghanistan open and reaffirmed
support for the military alliance's mission there, a senior
NATO officer said.
In a two-hour presentation, General Ashfaq Kayani also
urged NATO to engage with Pashtuns living in tribal regions
near Afghanistan rather than simply try to seal the border to
stop Taliban militants crossing over.
"We will do whatever is possible, whatever is within our
power to ensure that this line of supply is open," Kayani told
top officers in Brussels, according to Admiral Giampaolo Di
Paola, head of NATO's military committee.
"We understand how critical it is to Afghanistan ... and
because we want Afghanistan to succeed we would harm ourselves
if we did not do our best to ensure that," Di Paola quoted
Kayani as saying.
"A stable and peaceful Afghanistan is in the vital
interests of Pakistan."
Pakistan barred delivery of sealed containers and oil
tankers through the Khyber Pass -- NATO's main supply line --
last week after Taliban militants in the rugged lawless area
hijacked and looted 15 trucks destined for Afghanistan.
On Monday, movement of fuel tankers and food trucks
resumed to the NATO and US-led forces in Afghanistan after
paramilitary escorts were added and a new checkpoints set up
on the route.
Di Paola said Kayani also "made a very in-depth and
complex presentation" to NATO chiefs of defence explaining why
factors of geography, culture and history make it impossible
to stop people crossing the border.
"There is no force which alone can block (the border).
Flow across that line is part of normal life for centuries,
will continue to be part of normal life for centuries," said
Di Paola.
It is only by "engaging the people living there, and
having their understanding and their support that we can
facilitate a solution," he said.
Bureau Report
First Published: Wednesday, November 19, 2008, 00:00