Islamabad, Apr 14: Pakistan's Prime Minister
told a top United Nations envoy to Afghanistan yesterday
that any future political set-up in the neighbouring,
war-torn country must reflect its ethnic balance.
Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali also said he hoped
that Afghanistan's first democratic elections due in
September would be "free and fair", according to a foreign
ministry statement.
Jamali and foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri
held separate talks with Jean Arnault, special representative
of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and head of United Nations
Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), after his arrival
on a two-day visit.
"The Prime Minister informed the visiting dignitary
that any future political dispensation in Afghanistan must
take into account the ethnic balance," a foreign ministry
statement said.
Pakistan favours due representation for Afghanistan's
majority ethnic Pashtun community in the Kabul government,
currently dominated by members of the Tajik ethnic group.
Pakistan has a sizeable population of Pashtuns living
in regions bordering Afghanistan.
The statement said Arnault briefed the Prime Minister
on UNAMA's efforts to register voters for the elections,
including Afghan refugees living in Pakistan.
Bureau Report
