Kabul: Afghan President Hamid Karzai yesterday reiterated a plea for more Pakistani cooperation in fighting militants, days after Islamabad derided Kabul's accusations that the leader of the Taliban regime was in Pakistan.
Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf, in an interview with CNN on Sunday, said relations with neighbouring Afghanistan were growing tense and Karzai was "totally oblivious" to efforts by elements in his government to malign Pakistan.
"We expect from our brothers, his excellency the president of Pakistan, the respected government of Pakistan ... to cooperate more seriously and actively with us in our joint campaign against terrorism," Karzai said in Kabul.
Afghanistan is facing an increasingly vicious insurgency by Taliban guerrillas, who have been fighting since their regime was ousted weeks after the September 11 attacks when Pakistan dropped support for the radical Islamists.
Many Afghans believe the militants could not sustain their insurgency, which is fiercest in provinces bordering Pakistan, without the benefit of sanctuaries and support in Pakistan.
Pakistan denies helping the Taliban but says some militants are crossing back and forth across the rugged, porous border and launching attacks on the Pakistani side too. More than 120 militants and at least five Pakistani troops have been killed in clashes in the Waziristan border region since Saturday. But Afghanistan says it is suffering the worst of the violence.
Karzai visited Pakistan last month and handed over what Afghan officials said was detailed information about Taliban members and activities in Pakistan.
