Pakistan’s Asif Ali Zardari took the oath of the office of president in Islamabad on Tuesday. Chief Justice Abdul Hamid Dogar administered the oath. The ceremony was attended among others by Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
President Hamid Karzai expressed the hope that the new Pakistan president would play a big role in strengthening relationship between the two countries. He said his meeting with Zardari gave him a hope for the good future of the region.
He said he had a “very hearty” meeting with President Zardari on the issues of national importance for both countries with specific areas of terrorism and extremism. Karzai hoped that the new civilian government in Pakistan would make efforts towards bringing prosperity for the people of Pakistan and defeat the menace of terrorism.
“We will go along with each step that President Zardari and his government will take,” he said.
“We both have a responsibility to the people of our two countries to bring them peace and prosperity.” Karzai said the sentiments between the two countries were very deep. He said Pakistan was suffering as much as Afghanistan was, and in 2007-08, hundreds of Pakistanis were killed or maimed. “Benazir Bhutto was killed in a cowardly act. She was a woman leader par excellence.”
Similarly, the Afghan people are suffering and both countries need to resolve these issues, he added.