With the Northern Alliance routing the Taliban from most of the key areas in Afghanistan, Pakistan has said it wants a friendly government in the neighbouring country and insisted that it is very much in the picture on Afghan affairs.
"We are totally in the picture and in close coordination with the coalition partners," Defence spokesman Major General Rashid Qureshi said.
"We want a government in Afghanistan which should be friendly with its neighbour," he said.
Qureshi's comments follow hectic consultations between President Pervez Musharraf and his close advisors on Wednesday to discuss options left for Pakistan to sustain its strategic interests in Afghanistan in the light of the fall of Kabul and rapid advances made by Northern Alliance. Officials said Musharraf received strong signals through influential diplomatic channels that the political and military leadership of the Northern Alliance would be willing to open a new phase of "non-belligerent relationship" with Islamabad.
The new contacts may provide basis to establish friendly ties with the future government in Afghanistan, 'The News' quoted senior officials as saying. Bureau Report