Taliban using Pak as sanctuary: Mush

Kabul: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Thursday acknowledged that Taliban guerrillas were using his country as a sanctuary to attack government and coalition forces in Afghanistan, but rejected charges that his government was not doing enough to stop them.

In an address to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Afghan Cabinet ministers, parliamentarians and Afghan officials in Kabul, Gen Musharraf, however, denied that Pakistani intelligence officials were involved in fighting in Afghanistan.

"Certainly I agree that there are Taliban in Afghanistan and in Pakistan. I know they are crossing the border coming into Afghanistan, doing the blasts, but that is not Pakistan's intention," Gen Musharraf said.

In a reference to Taliban insurgents and Al Qaeda militants, he added: "They are killing us, they kill our civilians, they kill our military."

Pakistan has been increasingly under pressure by some Nato countries that say his government is not doing enough in the war against the Taliban. Also, Pakistan has been regularly accused by Afghan officials of providing sanctuaries to Taliban leaders.

"We have arrested around 300 Taliban, we have handed 200 of them to your government. Please stop blaming us. That affects our relationship, affects our brotherhood, and please don't do anything that can make people dislike each other and please don't put all responsibilities on us," Gen Musharraf said.

"We will fight terrorism together," he added. "There were hundreds of Al Qaeda members in different cities of Pakistan. We have arrested about 700 of them. They are on the run and they are few now."

Musharraf admitted that Pakistan had supported the Taliban during their rise and during their rule in Afghanistan. He said this was based on geopolitical factors and ethnic linkages between Pashtun Taliban and Pakistani Pashtuns.

In his closing speech at the meeting with Musharraf, Karzai said, "The interest of the Afghan people is peace and brotherhood with Pakistan. Our people are saying terrorists are coming from Pakistan. They are not saying that is (because of) the hostility of Pakistan. It is not an accusation (but only a), brother asking a brother for help."