Karzai wants Pakistan probes murder of Afghan peace envoy

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has asked Pakistan to investigate the assassination of the Afghan peace envoy Burhanddin Rabbani, who was killed by a suicide bomber at his residence in Kabul last month.Karzai told Pakistani Geo television in an interview aired Saturday night that the bomber in the guess of Taliban messenger came from the Pakistani southwestern city of Quetta. “We have names and addresses of certain individuals and have shared with Pakistan and it is now Pakistan’s responsibility to investigate,” the Afghan president said. He said there has been no progress in the investigation process by Pakistan, asking Islamabad to invite a delegation of Afghan officials to share intelligence about the incident. Rabbani’s murder has halted the joint peace and reconciliation efforts by Afghanistan and Pakistan and President Karzai said Kabul will now hold talks with Pakistan as ‘representative’ of Taliban. “We cannot find any Taliban and their address. I could not find Mulla Omar (Taliban chief) and that is why we will now talk directly to Pakistan,” Karzai said. He said Pakistan will have to break all its links with the terrorist elements if it wants durable relations between the two countries. “Using violence as a tool is no longer in the interest of Pakistan as it is also suffering at the hands of terrorists”. “These terrorists were brought up in Pakistan and Afghanistan. We can’t blame any foreign hand. This is our own failure. We need to see why all this is happening and search for a solution.” Karzai dispelled the impression that Afghanistan and India signed a strategic partnership agreement in view of the worsening relations of his country with Pakistan following last month’s assassination of Afghan peace envoy Burhanuddin Rabbani. He said the tension between the US and Pakistan had not had an impact on Kabul’s attitude towards Islamabad. Karzai said his country’s policies towards Pakistan would not be dictated by any country. “Afghanistan has its own policy, its own stand, its own clear view of things and from that point of view, it’s dealing with our brothers in Pakistan.” “Afghanistan is a brother. (Despite) all that the Pakistani establishment has done to Afghanistan, Afghanistan is still a brother,” he added. However, Karzai said there was “pain” in Afghanistan over Pakistan’s dealing with his country. President Karzai said that Afghanistan will stand with Pakistan if attacked by the United States. “If Pakistan is attacked and if the people of Pakistan needs Afghanistan’s help Afghanistan would be there with you,” Karzai told the Pakistani anchor. “We are your brother as Pakistan has given us shelter (during the 1997-89 occupation of Afghanistan by former Soviet Union), as Pakistan considered us brother and gave homes and we spent time in Pakistan with respect as refugees,” he said. Karzai made surprising comments amid sharply increased tension between Pakistan and the United States after top American military officials threatened unilateral military action against Pakistan-based Afghan insurgent groups including the Haqqani network. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday said the United States has no plan to launch ground offensive in Pakistan but urged Islamabad to act within “days and weeks” to “squeeze” the Haqqani network and other armed factions that launch cross-border attacks into Afghanistan.