News - Afghanistan

Pakistan's Prime Minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, said Afghanistan must stop suspecting Pakistan played any role in the assassination of former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani.

Mr Gilani said on Saturday that Pakistan would co-operate with Afghanistan in all matters, including security issues, because "our intentions are beyond doubt in pursuing peace in the region."

The prime minister added that the All Parties' Conference had united the country, and the US had to acknowledge it could not fight terrorism without it.

Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security saidon Saturday that it had handed Pakistan evidence that the plot to kill Mr Rabbani had been hatched on Pakistani soil. The Ministry of Interior said that Pakistan's spy agency, the ISI, had played a role in the assassination.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said that Mr Rabbani's assassination had convinced him to focus on dialogue with Pakistan. He added that his government will no longer hold peace talks with the Taliban.

Speaking to a group of religious leaders, Mr Karzai said there were no partners for talks among the Taliban. It was not possible to find the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, he added.

Mr Rabbani, the head of the High Peace Council, was negotiating with the Taliban but killed by a suicide bomber pretending to be a Taliban peace emissary.