ISLAMABAD, 14 December — The United Nations has sought a comprehensive report from Islamabad by 27th of this month about steps so far taken by the Musharraf government regarding ban on the collection of funds for “terrorist” activities, freezing of funds and arrest of terrorists and other such measures.
Consequently, the Foreign Office has called an urgent meeting to prepare a blueprint of a report in the light of the steps/guidelines given by the UN’s Counter-Terrorism Committee. The meeting will be attended by the officials of National Accountability Bureau, State Bank of Pakistan, Ministry of Finance, Law Ministry and representatives of a secret government agency, media reports yesterday.
Sources said earlier the UN had set up a body on Sept. 28 through a resolution, after Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, to counter the terrorist activities around the globe. The steps/actions suggested in the joint resolution were made compulsory for the member states to comply with — especially Pakistan.
Sources said the government was sent full texts of as many as three UN Resolution Nos. 1267, 1333 and 1373. The government was asked to take action in the light of these resolutions. According to Resolution 1373, Pakistan is required to “criminalize activity in respect of collection of funds for terrorists purposes, freezing of funds, and arrest of terrorist, denying safe haven to the terrorist, to increase exchange of operational information on their movements”.
Pakistani and the UN also discussed and evolved a new compatible operational strategy under which as high as 2,000 troops under the banner of multinational force would be deployed inside Afghanistan, though in the first phase majority of these international peacekeepers will stay in Kabul. UN secretary-general’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Lakhdar Ibrahimi held extensive talks here on setting up a strong multinational force to have peace in Kabul and other areas.
Ibrahimi, whose grueling diplomatic efforts helped Afghan factions leaders to ink Bonn Agreement, had held talks with President Pervez Musharraf on his return from Kabul where he met a number of Afghan leaders. He, however, did not meet interim administration head Hamid Karzai, as he was not in Kabul. On return from Kabul, Ibrahimi had a heart-to-heart talk with Musharraf who felicitated him on the successful conclusion of the Bonn talks resulting in an agreement for the formation of an interim administration.
Ibrahimi, said a senior official, told Musharraf about the encouraging response from the Afghan leaders. Ibrahimi has reportedly received no opposition from Afghan leaders who met him in Kabul. “I would get an endorsement of multinational force plan from the UN Security Council,” Ibrahimi told Musharraf, though the endorsement of the UN Council is not essentially required but he might desire to have it for multipurposes, as security is paramount.
