Afghan president Hamid Karzai arrived in Islamabad today to discuss possible reconciliation with Taliban insurgents and the overall security situation on the Pakistan-Afghan border, dpa reported. During his two-day official visit, the Afghan leader will meet his Pakistani counterpart, Asif Ali Zardari, and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Pakistan's foreign ministry said. It is Karzai's first Pakistani visit since his re-election last year. Pakistani diplomatic sources said Karzai is expected to seek the extradition of Taliban's deputy chief, Mullah Abdul Ghani Barader, who was arrested last month by Pakistani intelligence agents from the southern port city of Karachi. A Pakistani court has banned handing over Baradar to any country. Karzai would also seek greater support from Islamabad for a reconciliation process that was set in motion following the London Conference on Afghanistan on January 28. Pakistan is believed to have immense influence on Taliban militants, mainly because it supported the force in the mid-1990s and is suspected to have covertly assisted them after 2001, despite the country joined an international alliance against Taliban.
