Afghan FM Lauds Musharraf's Vision of Enlightened Moderation
Pakistan Times Monitoring Report

ISLAMABAD: President General Pervez Musharraf's vision of enlightened moderation can help in bridging gap between the West and Islamic world, said Afghan Foreign Minister, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah.

There are some extremist elements who ignore and violate values, principles and humanistic teachings of Islam, he said while in an interview with state-run television late Wednesday night.

Of Extremists

"They (extremists) capitalize these on their own misadventures and in the name of Islam", the Afghan FM said.

He said, Afghanistan, appreciates the efforts made by President Musharraf and some other leaders of the Islamic world to remove mis-perception about the Ummah.

To remove the mis-perception of extremism about muslims, he said, there is dire need to make more efforts by the Islamic world in order to materialize the views of millions of muslims who want to live in peace with rest of the world.

Fruitful Visit

The Afghan Foreign Minister termed his visit to Pakistan as 'very fruitful'.

Abdullah said that his visit was part of the efforts which both the countries are making in order to further expand and solidify the relations at different levels.

During the visit, he said, wide range of issues including economic, trade, business, diplomatic, political, and security came under discussion at different levels.

He said, the menace of terrorism is a common challenge both for Afghanistan and Pakistan adding both the countries have to fight it for long time.

"Some extremists have established their networks in this region," he remarked by adding; "So to overcome all these challenges both the countries need to continue cooperation and work together."●