Osama issue did not figure in talks with Pakistan: Taliban

ISLAMABAD (NNI): The spokesman of the visiting Afghan delegation and Afghan ambassador to Pakistan Maulvi Said Muhammad Haqqani has said that the issue of Saudi national Osama bin Laden did not come under discussions in talks with the Pakistan officials.

"We discussed the issue of terrorism but Osamas issue did not come up for discussions ad Pakistan has all along been saying that it is Afghanistans internal problem", Haqqani told Voice of America.

He said that Pakistan conveyed its concern during negotiations that Pakistani criminals flee to Afghanistan after committing crimes. "We assured that the Islamic Emirate would never allow a criminal to use Afghanistans soil against any one else. We have already started efforts to curb criminals and the result is that peace has restored in 95 percent of Afghanistans land", said the Afghan envoy.

He said that detailed discussions were held on Transit Trade. No specific agreement was made in this connection and the Afghan delegation insisted on the release of items held by the Pakistan. But they did not agree. At last they agreed that the Afghan traders would be able to shift to Afghanistan item seized from them in Pakistan under the transit trade and that they can freely transport items, not held by them.

"We agreed that the Afghan prisoners, jailed for small crimes, would be released, according to the earlier announcement of General Pervez Musharraf. It was also agreed that the prisoners, jailed for big crimes, would be handed over to the Islamic Emirate on the promise that these prisoners would not return to Pakistan", Haqqani said.