Canada will suggest Pakistan alternatives to mine its border with Afghanistan in the light of political and technical requisites, a Canadian diplomat has said. The proposal are going to be a mix of political and technical stuff a combination of things so as to make the idea of landmines redundant, Canadian Deputy High Commissioner Stuart Hughes said at a seminar on 1997-2007: Ten years of Mine Ban Treaty, A success in progress', organized by Sustainable Peace And Development Organization (SPADO) in Islamabad. He said a Canadian inter-agency team in its recent visit to Pakistan had held meetings with relevant officials and visited Chaman (Balochistan) border and refugee camps. It would send proposals in light of the region's specific requirements. He said Canada considered anti-personnel mines as a global problem. Hughes said the instrumental role of Canadian civil society and the government in achieving Ottawa Convention to ban landmines, their production and transfer, to which 40 countries had ratified by September 1998. Regarding the current presence of Canadian troops in Afghanistan and in Pakistan during earthquake, he rejected any ulterior motives and said it was for the humanitarian cause. We have no imperial ambitions in Afghanistan and Pakistan, rather our presence has been for humanitarian purpose. He said in Pakistan, about 200 Canadian troops contributed to relief work including provision of clean drinking water, setting up of filtration plants and field hospitals in quake-hit areas. Similarly in Afghanistan, he said Canada through its troops wanted the Afghan people to maintain an atmosphere conducive to attain sustainable economic development.
