Pakistan does not want Taliban to take over Afghanistan: Qureshi

* Foreign minister says Pakistan will only seek involvement in Afghanistan in accordance with country’s wishes

WASHINGTON: Today Pakistan does not want the Taliban to take over Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Thursday, adding, however, there was a time when there was a Taliban government in Afghanistan and Pakistan felt comfortable with that.

Talking to the National Public Radio, Qureshi rejected suggestions that Pakistan has quietly supported Taliban in Afghanistan. He pledged to work to bring stability to its neighbour.

He said Pakistan was striving to be a “moderate, democratic voice” since its return to civilian rule in 2008. “Friends can also change,” he said.

“What the American people need to understand is that people and democracy in Pakistan are getting their act together,” he said. Qureshi said Pakistan would only seek involvement in Afghanistan in accordance with the country’s wishes.

“We are going to do whatever we can do to achieve the objective of a peaceful, stable, friendly Afghanistan,” he added.

Partnership: Meanwhile, after a meeting with US Vice President Joseph Biden on Thursday, Qureshi said he expressed the US administration’s willingness to transform the US-Pakistan relationship into a mutually beneficial and sustained partnership, according to APP. Biden dropped in a White House meeting between National Security Adviser James Jones and top Pakistani officials including Qureshi, Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar, army chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani and Islamabad’s Ambassador in Washington Hussain Haqqani.

“We exchanged views on the discussions we had at the strategic dialogue and his (Biden’s) expression of support reinforced my understanding that this administration is ready to turn bilateral relations into a partnership,” Qureshi told reporters after the meeting.

He said the top US officials paid tribute to the Pakistani people for their courage in simultaneously dealing with certain serious issues. “Pakistan has taken some tough decisions, some very difficult economic decisions, which burdened the ordinary people. The US officials acknowledge this and agree that delivery (of US aid) has been slow. And they are ready to review that,” the foreign minister added.

Speaking particularly about Biden’s views, he said, “He (Biden) clearly sees a huge change in the congressional approach towards Pakistan (following the country’s anti-terror strides).” agencies