General David Richards, the commander of NATO troops in Afghanistan, said on Monday that Pakistan was not supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan. Speaking to Geo television, the NATO commander, who arrived in Pakistan for a two-day visit on Monday, denied reports that he had come with evidence that Islamabad was supporting the Taliban. | “He said that these reports were baseless and rubbish. The Taliban were being supported by poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, which funded their weapons purchases...” |
He said he had no information about the whereabouts of Taliban leader Mullah Umar. He praised Pakistan's contribution in the war against terrorism, and welcomed the peace agreement between Pakistan's government and tribal elders in North Waziristan, saying it was a good example and should be followed by others. He denied that NATO forces were in contact with Taliban in Afghanistan, but they were in contact with local tribal elders in Helmand for a peace agreement in the area. He said that Afghanistan, Pakistan and Britain were partners in the war against terrorism and his meeting with President Musharraf would be a friendly one.