Pak support vital to Afghan solution

Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani greets British Foreign Secretary David Miliband (L) upon arrival for a meeting in Islamabad yesterday. Miliband has hailed the upcoming London Conference on Afghanistan as an 'important step' on the road to achieving prosperity, security and stability in that country. Photo: AFP

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said yesterday that stability and security in war-torn Afghanistan depended on Pakistan and its own battle with Taliban militants.
Miliband made the comments during a visit to the Pakistani capital Islamabad for talks with the government about security and cooperation on Afghanistan, ahead of a January 28 summit in London on Afghanistan's peace and security.
"Pakistan is a vital partner in finding solutions and progress in Afghanistan," Miliband told a joint press conference after holding talks with Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
"Stability, security, prosperity in Afghanistan depend in some part on stability, security and prosperity in Pakistan," he said.
"The London conference on Afghanistan will look at Afghanistan's security needs, it will look at its development and government's needs and it will look at the regional contribution."
Miliband said that the international community should give Islamabad more effective support in tackling the Taliban insurgency in the country's northwestern tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.
"In terms of commitment of the international community, I think we can always do better and we should always be seeking to do better in respecting Pakistan's independence and vitality but also recognising its growing needs," he said.