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KABUL (PAN): A former Afghan foreign minister has said both Islamabad and Kabul need a strong political will to deal with the growing militancy in the neighbouring countries.

In remarks aired by a private Pakistani TV channel on Saturday, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah called for a joint Pak-Afghan campaign to politically isolate the Taliban insurgents.

President Hamid Karzai's principal challenger in the recent election, Abdullah agreed the movement of militants across the porous Pak-Afghan border was in the interest of neither country.

Speaking to DawnNews, he said although there were no quick fixes, a political resolve was required to effectively tackle the insurgency problem.

The Taliban militancy in Afghanistan has increased to an extent that it cannot be curbed without deployment of additional American forces, according to the ex-minister.

In order to resolve the crisis, the global fraternity needed a 'credible Afghan partner,' Dr. Abdullah said in an apparent criticism of President Karzai, who was sworn into office for a second term on Thursday.

Asked if he would join a unity government, as Karzai had proposed in his speech, Abdullah replied the president did not agree with his programme for change. However, he did not elaborate on his recipe for change.

PAN Monitor/mud