Karzai to visit Pakistan shortly

PESHAWAR: President Hamid Karzai will soon pay a visit to Pakistan, the Afghan foreign ministry spokesman said Saturday.The spokesman, Sultan Ahmad Baheen, told Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) that the Afghan president would soon visit Pakistan on the invitation of President Asif Ali Zardari.Asked whether the visit of Afghan Foreign Minister Dr Rangin Dadfar Spanta to Islamabad had any link with President Karzai’s trip to Pakistan, Baheen said: “Mr Spanta visited Pakistan to work out modalities and set the agenda for President Karzai’s visit.” The spokesman said there were two important items on the agenda including the joint efforts against terrorism and enhancement of cooperation between the two countries at regional and international level.Meanwhile, a British soldier was killed during a Taliban attack in the Musa Qala district in Helmand province Saturday. This brought to 143 the number of British soldiers killed in Afghanistan since deployment of the troops from Britain in the country. A total of 22 foreign soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan during the month of January in 2009.According to the AIP, a pro-government tribal elder Haji Payanda Khan was killed in a firing incident involving foreign troops in Urgun district in Paktika province. The Paktika governor’s spokesman, Hamidullah Zwak, said the foreign forces had regretted their mistake for killing the tribal elder. Meanwhile, the Governor of Wardak province, Abdul Halim Fidai, survived a bomb explosion in Ambukhak area in Chak district. He was travelling with members of the provincial council when his car was hit by a landmine. Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack and its spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said occupants of the vehicle were killed and that the Governor had been injured.