Karzai, who has frequently sparred with his Pakistani counterpart Pervez Musharraf on the issue cross-border terrorism, said the two neighbouring countries must join hands to eradicate extremism in the region.

"Unless we do that, the picture is one of doom and gloom - for Pakistan, and as a consequence for Afghanistan," Karzai was quoted as saying in the latest issue of Newsweek magazine.

The Afghan leader also said nations must not use extremism as a tool. "We cannot use extremism as a tool for any purpose. It will hurt us eventually, as it has begun to hurt Pakistan," he told the magazine.

Interestingly, Karzai and Musharraf shared a platform at the recently concluded World Economic Forum in Davos, where they addressed the issue of terrorism and the need for a global effort to fight the scourge.

Karzai said the Taliban, ousted from power by the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, was trying to stall progress in the country by trying to prevent reconstruction, killing and intimidating people and preventing children from going to school.

Without mentioning Pakistan by name, Karzai said militant groups ‘would not be strong without support’.