- NEW YORK (ANI) --
US President George W. Bush has reportedly told his Pakistani counterpart
Pervez Musharraf to prevent "Pakistan-based terrorists" from
crossing over into Kashmir and Afghanistan.
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- During the half-an-hour closed door meeting with Musharraf
here on Wednesday, Bush stressed the need for Pakistan to clamp down on
"cross-border infiltration", which is affecting Kashmir and Afghanistan,
the Daily Times quoted a US senior official as saying.
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- Another top US official reportedly said that Bush urged
progress on quelling cross-border attacks, but did not ask them to send
troops to Iraq. "The president didn't come here to ask people for
troops to Iraq from either leader during separate meetings," added
the official.
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- Bush also discussed the volatile issue of raids by militants
who cross the Line of Control, the official said.
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- Raising his concerns about Taliban-like hard-liners striking
at targets in Afghanistan from Pakistan, the official said, "Bush
did ask Musharraf to go back and to redouble his efforts to try and deal
with this particular problem. But this is a very hard problem and I don't
think we believe it's from a lack of will."
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- "You've had a complete shift in the orientation
of Pakistan's foreign policy and Pakistan's policies toward terrorism,"
the official stressed. "It doesn't mean that there isn't still more
to do, but that has to be acknowledged," Bush is reported to have
told to Musharraf, according to the official.
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- Meanwhile, another report in The Nation quoted US Ambassador
to Pakistan Nancy J. Powell as saying in Peshawar that infiltration of
terrorists into Kashmir must stop. According to the paper, Nancy said:
"There is no doubt, however, that violence in Kashmir must stop. Ending
infiltration into Kashmir remains a key goal. For our part, we will continue
to explore ways to encourage peace in Kashmir."
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- The US Ambassador also stressed the need for early restoration
of democracy in the country. She said that the US hoped that Islamabad
would go ahead with its commitment to strengthen democracy and ensure human
rights to build a stable and positive future of its people. "We want
strong Pakistani democratic institutions, including a National Assembly,
that plays a vigorous and positive role in good governance and an independent
judiciary that promotes rule of law."
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- "Some of our United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) money is directed squarely at this goal of strengthening
democracy, good governance and rule of law," she added. (ANI)
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