Press Trust of India Posted online: Monday, October 01, 2001 at 2036 hours IST Updated: , hours IST
London, October 1: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Monday said the days of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban regime appeared numbered and conflict with the United States seemed inevitable.
In an interview on BBC world service radio, he said Pakistan was trying to "interact" with the Taliban rather than "save" them.
Asked if the regime's days were numbered, he said: "It appears so."
No severing of ties with Taliban despite frustration
Meanwhile, reports from Islamabad said, while Pakistan has expressed its frustration at the discouraging response from the Taliban on the extradition of Saudi fugitive Osama bin Laden, the country is not prepared to break relations with the Afghan militia.
"Though the response from Taliban is discouraging in meeting the demands of the international community to hand over Laden, Pakistan would continue to engage the milita," foreign office spokesman Riaz Mohammad Khan told reporters.
He said, "The President (Pervez Musharraf) has said that the hopes are dim. The response has been discouraging. Whatever hope is Left, whatever possibilities exist, we will remain engaged and see those possibilities can be expanded. Some kind of diplomatic effort with Taliban continues till we succeed."
