Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to wipe out rifts through Consultations: FO
Maria A Khan 'Pakistan Times' Diplomatic Correspondent

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam on Monday has said that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Afghan President Hamid Karzai at ECO conference have mutually agreed on the viewpoint that foreign ministers from both the states would now hold regular talks to wipeout misunderstandings through consultations.

Pakistan on Monday responded sharply to Afghan criticism of its counterterrorism efforts, saying that if Osama bin Laden is alive he is more likely hiding in Afghanistan than Pakistan.

Over the weekend, Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta told a German newspaper that bin Laden was in Pakistan and that Islamabad was making ``half-hearted'' efforts to bring him to justice.

"I think these allegations are absurd and if any one is making half-hearted efforts, it's on the other side,'' Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam told a weekly news conference in the capital.

"Afghans need to concentrate on taking action of their side instead of making accusations at Pakistan.'' ``Nobody knows where Osama bin Laden is. If he is alive the chances are that he might be in Afghanistan, but we cannot say for sure,'' Aslam said.

Pakistan Monday hoped that the tragic killing of Pakistani student Aamer Nazir Cheema would not have negative impact on multi-faceted Pak-German relations.

Responding questions she described killing of Aamer Nazir Cheema in German police custody as unfortunate.

She said Pakistani investigators have joined Germans. 'They were given access to every place and everyone they wanted to seek and they will submit their report on their return to Pakistan'.

She said Pakistan and Germany have multi-faced relations and tragic incident would not have negative impacts on them.●