United Nations, Sept 24: Afghan President Hamid Karzai issued a thinly-veiled warning to Pakistan over extremist attacks from its territory as he urged a wider international military presence in Afghanistan. In a speech before the 58th United Nations General Assembly, Karzai said the resurgence of the ousted Taliban represented a "critical threat" to the rebuilding of Afghanistan and regional security.
"We continue to extend a sincere hand of friendship to Pakistan and all other neighbours on the basis of the requirements of a civilized relationship. We will never permit our territory to be used against any other country and expect the same," the Afghan leader said. "Governments must stop using extremism as an instrument of policy. As long as terrorism survives in this part of the world, neither Afghanistan, nor our neighbours, nor indeed the rest of the world can be safe," he said.
Karzai also repeated pleas for the Nato-led peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan to extend its mandate beyond the capital of Kabul. "The International Security Assistance Force, to the credit of the participating nations, has done a tremendous job in securing the nation's capital.
"This is partly the reason that people from other parts of the country have demanded that ISAF be expanded to their areas too," he said. Bureau Report