The Taliban, who are believed to have emerged from religious seminaries in Pakistan took to the Afghan scene in 1994 and soon became a competent fighting force.

They swept to power in September 1996, ousting President Burhanuddin Rabbani's government and taking over Kabul where they soon began implementing strict Islamic laws.

Political commentator MB Naqvi has warned that if the Taliban take control of the whole of Afghanistan, that can cause serious problems for Pakistan where religious schools have been operating as nurseries for Taliban soldiers.

Rehman said governments in Pakistan hadtraditionally conceded to the pressure of domestic ``religious extremists'' and it was yet to be seen how Islamabad would deal with its ``dogmatic'' neighbours.

``Pakistan's leadership has a very limited understanding of the threat stemming from the Taliban,'' he said. Thousands of Afghan and Pakistani nationals study in some 8,000 Islamic seminaries in Pakistan.