“In order to realise the objectives of the peace process, I invite the leadership of the Taliban to engage in direct talks with the Afghan government,” Karzai said in a statement issued by his office.

“While emphasising the importance of Pakistan’s support for the peace process, I hereby request our brotherly government of Pakistan to support and facilitate our direct negotiation efforts as part of the peace process.”

The statement came after Karzai spoke by telephone to US President Barack Obama about Afghan-led reconciliation moves and a visit last week to Pakistan, where he said it was time to take action for peace.

Khar said even after a visit by the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, to Islamabad last week, it was unclear whether he really wanted his government to hold talks with the Taliban in Qatar. The Taliban has announced its readiness to negotiate with the international community in the Gulf state and has moved some of its officials there with the encouragement of US and other western governments. Over the course of the past two months, Karzai initially objected to Qatar being a venue, recalling his ambassador in protest when the initiative was announced. He then appeared to relent, but recently raised the possibility of separate talks in Saudi Arabia, to the irritation of Washington officials.

“We are waiting for him to determine the course of action of his government and once that is done, we will want to be seen to be fully supporting it… The messages from Kabul are a bit confusing. At first they say they are supporting it but they say they are recalling their ambassador because they think they have not been taken into confidence,” Khar said.

“For us, the dangers of being supportive of something where there is not enough clarity on whether the Afghan government is fully behind it, fully owns it, fully drives it, are too high. The stakes are far too high.” She added: “What we expect of Afghanistan and the Karzai government is that they share very clearly with the rest of the world and with us what it is they truly want to do. Yes, they want the path towards peace and reconciliation. They have already said that. But how do they plan to achieve it?”

Khar insisted that Pakistan would not actively hinder the effort to hold talks in Qatar, and denied reports that Islamabad had blocked some Taliban officials from flying to Doha to participate. However, in a reminder of the fragility of the Afghan-Pakistani relationship, the foreign minister again rejected Afghan pressure to allow Kabul officials have access to Taliban figures they believe to be in Pakistan, repeating longstanding Pakistani denials that Islamabad has any idea of the whereabouts of the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar.

“I am not an authority on where Mullah Omar is, but I do know that Pakistani authorities do not know where Mullah Omar is. I know that much,” she said, adding: “Pakistan s view is that everything the Afghans ask us which is doable, which is realistic, which is based on facts, we will do… but it has to be based on facts.”

However, Khar would not say whether Afghan officials would be allowed to meet one of Omar s deputies, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who is in Pakistani custody. During his visit to Islamabad on Friday, Karzai expressed frustration with Pakistani policy, saying “impediments” in the relationship should be removed “sooner rather than later”.

Pakistan s ambivalence over the effort to open a dialogue in Qatar has contributed to the poor state of Pakistan s relationship with the US, which reached a new low in November when Nato cross-border fire from Afghanistan killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. Khar is due to meet the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, in London this week but she said she had no power to seek an improvement in the relationship until Pakistan s parliament had published the results of its own review.

Khar denied that her government was delegating a politically tricky issue, arguing that the parliamentary review of US policy was “something to be proud about” and would improve bilateral relations in the long term.

“I think this relationship has been missing a great deal of credibility and a lot of that is because the relationship has always peaked during dictatorships and because a lot of the terms of the relationship are not very transparent,” she said. “What this government is doing is trying to get some of that credibility back… Once you are able to do that I think we will turn out to be much more effective partnership.”

By way of contrast, the minister praised Pakistan s relations with the UK, which she said worked well because they were “predictable”, adding that Britain had been understanding over Islamabad s opposition to US drone strikes inside Pakistani territory.

At a joint press conference with Khar on Tuesday, William Hague described the British relationship with Pakistan as “deep, long term and strategic.” The foreign secretary said Afghan-led efforts towards reconciliation and a lasting peace settlement in Afghanistan were “vital to the long term security of Britain and Pakistan and to the region”.

Tamanna Begum was born in Lahore and started her career with Radio Pakistan and did some theatre plays as well. She peaked in the 1970s and 1980s.

Tamanna started acting in movies and quickly rose to fame with her robust performances.

She had acted alongside popular stars such as Talat Iqbal and Waheed Murad‚ and her films were huge successes. However‚ with deteriorating situation of Lollywood, she had to settle for acting in television plays.

The lively and charged crowd responded with great enthusiasm when the speakers chanted “death to America” and demanded jihad (holy war) against the US which was, according to them, a bitter enemy of Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

“America wants to get hold of our nuclear assets. Sadly, the incumbent leaders of Pakistan are also playing in the hands of Americans. Let us join hands and step forward to break Pakistani government’s alliance with the US to save Pakistan,” speakers said, addressing the charged crowd.

Supporters and leaders of as many as 40 parties participated in the show of ‘Defence of Pakistan’ which in fact, failed to attract majority of students and ‘progressive class’ of the country.

“Today, we have gathered here to raise a voice of protest against the US intervention in Pakistan. Who will join hands with us in this noble cause,” Maulana Samiul Haq asked the participants.

Speaking on the occasion, former head of ISI General (retd) Hamid Gul told participants that the US policies in the region, especially in Pakistan were the root cause of main problems in the country. He urged the participants to get united and struggle against the US policies to rid the country of its trouble.

“Our protest is against the possible resumption of Nato supplies, US and Indian occupation and to strengthen the country’s defence,” speakers said. The speakers made it clear that the US presence in the region was only meant to break Pakistan. “America wants to break Pakistan into pieces. Now they are conspiring to deprive Pakistan of Balochistan. We will call All-Party Conference on Balochistan soon,” speakers said.

The huge crowd responded to the speakers when they shouted slogans like “Death to America” and “America deserves one treatment: jihad, jihad”.

“America can never be our friend, it is our biggest enemy. America will be defeated in Afghanistan and divided into pieces,” Mian Aslam, a former lawmaker from Jamaat-e-Islami party told the rally.

Banners sprung up in the rally denounced US drone strikes, government’s decision to grant India most favoured nation status in a bid to ease trade and reopening of the Afghan border for Nato supply.

“Go America Go,” “No to Nato,” “Arrogant Americans – others are also human beings,” and “the chains of slavery will be broken now,” the banners read.

Difa-e-Pakistan Council has attracted huge gatherings at a series of rallies across the country that some see as a build up to contesting next general election, which could be called within months.

Three prominent leaders: Jamaatud Dawa head Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat President Maulana Ahmed Ludhianvi and Secretary General Dr Khadim Hussain Dhillon did not participate in the DPC sit-in.

The capital administration on Saturday banned the entry of Ludhianvi, Dhillon and Hafiz Saeed Ahmad in Islamabad for four days

The Foreign Minister was talking to scholars and senior analysts at the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) here.

The IISS is a prestigious think tank.

Condemning US resolution on Balochistan, she said such acts of “foolhardy-global-vigilanteism” could only aggravate Pakistan’s already estranged ties with US.

“It would distance the two allies even further”, said Khar.

Regarding ties with India she said keeping the dialogue alive on top of exhibiting mature-sightedness would be the right thing to do for both neighbours.

Going ahead, Khar tied Pakistan’s future with Afghanistan’s vowing unwavering support for peace process in the war-torn country.

Speaking to reporters after condoling with Pir Pagara VIII upon the demise of his father, PM Gilani said that many other countries had also been declared most favoured nations in the past.

Gilani said that the government would consider Pakistan’s interests while trading with India, as it is a step towards better trade relations with the neighbouring country.

The prime minister said that, in his opinion, the government should be given a chance to complete its tenure. He further said that Afghan people hold the solution for the Afghan crisis.

When asked a question about the contempt of court case against him, he declined to give an answer, saying that only his lawyer could answer questions related to the case.

Gilani added that the government had decided to call an ‘All Parties Conference’ to dicsuss the Balochistan issue.

Addressing a press conference at a local hotel, DPC leader Maulana Samiul Haq said they would challenge the decision of the interior ministry to ban the entry of Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and Ahl-e-Sunnat wal Jamaat (ASWJ) leader Maulana Ahmed Ludhianvi to the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).

Despite the ban, Saeed and Ludhianvi reached Rawalpindi on Sunday to participate in the Sarbarahi Ijlas (meeting of the party heads).

Other party leaders including JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, General Ziaul Haq’s son Ejazul Haq and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Secretary General Liaquat Baloch also reached Rawalpindi to participate in the rally. The DPC are planning a serious protest against what they perceive as injustices on Pakistan soil. In fact, they have decided to approach the Supreme Court over the resumption of airspace supplies to Nato in Afghanistan, Haq told the media.

“We have decided to gather at Abpara in the federal capital on February 20 to raise our voices against the continuous drone attacks in Pakistan and the resumption of Nato supplies by the federal defence minister,” he said. The alliance of as many as 30 political and the religious parties demanded immediate removal of Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, the federal defence minister, for cooperating on this issue with Nato.

For the DPC leadership, the bans on some members had been imposed on the direction of the United States, as they intend to hold a public gathering in Balochistan on February 27. Condemning the recent resolution put up in the US Congress, the DPC members said that ‘the West’ had never passed any resolution on the freedom of Kashmir from Indian occupation.

The party leader also took up Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s case during his address and said that their “innocent sister” is being “shamefully treated”. He was accompanied by Ludhianvi, who said that the ban on three leaders in Islamabad will be challenged in the court.

A senior police officer in Rawalpindi, who asked not to be named, said that the Islamabad administration had imposed a ban on three leaders of DPC for seven days but despite the ban, the Rawalpindi police as well as the city’s administration have been unable to take any legal action against those breaching the bans.

He added that the Rawalpindi police and the administration are under control of the Punjab government, while the Islamabad Police and Islamabad administration are under the control of federal government.

Answering questions from the media, Haq confirmed that Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed had parted from the DPC.

“Either look into it [Balochistan issue] immediately or (God forbid) be ready to lose it,” he said. The MQM chief was addressing tens of thousands of women supporters at a mammoth rally.

By his reckoning Altaf said that the country’s leaders had lost the trust of the people of this province. “We have to take some bold decisions and will have to give them their due rights to regain their confidence.”

Altaf’s comments came in the backdrop of a resolution moved in the US Congress calling for right of self-determination for the people of Balochistan.

By virtue of its wrong policies and its high-handedness, he said, the rulers had sought to drown out the voice of Baloch people, alienating them and forcing them to the point of secession.

“You are dumping corpses there and still want these people to remain loyal to Pakistan,” Altaf said adding “I have asked the government several times to stop such brutalities.” Referring to the issue of missing persons, he said that 28 men of his party were still missing. He demanded that the missing persons’ issue should be resolved at the earliest.

He also called for the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, languishing in American prison for long and reminded that it was the Muttahida Qaumi Movement which had taken out a big rally for her release.

However, a major part of his speech was devoted to the issue of women in Pakistan. He called for doing away with tribal and feudal customs which did not allow women to play their role in the development and prosperity of the country.

The MQM organisers dubbed party’s show of strength on Sunday as a move to “empower women to strengthen Pakistan.”

Mr Karzai, who is on a three-day visit to Pakistan to attend a trilateral summit, met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari and interacted with Jamaat-i-Islami leader Qazi Hussain Ahmed and JUI-F Senators Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and Gul Nasib, who have been associated with Afghan jihadi groups.

He also plans to meet JUI-S chief Maulana Samiul Haq from whose seminary in Akora Khattak most Taliban leaders had graduated. A source privy to Mr Karzai’s meetings in Islamabad said he was primarily trying to explore who could do what to influence the Taliban to start negotiations for ending the war which was now in its 11th year.

Before starting the visit, President Karzai claimed in an interview with Wall Street Journal that Taliban were secretly talking to both the US and Afghanistan. His assertion was denied by Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid who said the group wasn’t holding any talks with the Karzai administration.

Mr Karzai updated Prime Minister Gilani about initiatives taken by his government to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table.

Insisting on importance of Pakistan’s support for peace efforts, he said Pakistan and Afghanistan were “twin brothers and therefore should cooperate in the same spirit for the cause of peace and stability in both countries”.

President Karzai is reported to be pushing the government to arrange his meetings with Taliban leaders who are either in custody of Pakistani authorities or living in the country.

While scepticism prevails in the Afghan delegation about Pakistan’s “wholehearted and sincere” support for reconciliation efforts, Pakistani leaders reiterated their backing for the process saying it served their national interest.

“Pakistan supports any peace process in Afghanistan which is Afghan-led and Afghan-owned because peace, prosperity and independence of Afghanistan are in the best interest of Pakistan,” the prime minister said.

President Zardari was quoted as saying during his meeting with the visiting leader that “Pakistan has always desired a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan as it is in Pakistan’s own national interest”. The two countries had last year launched a joint commission for peace and reconciliation to advance efforts to reach out to insurgent leaders, but the initiative faltered after the High Peace Council’s chief, Prof Burhanuddin Rabbani, was assassinated. Afghanistan blamed the assassination on Quetta-based elements. The wounds caused by the murder appeared to be healing at Thursday’s meetings.

As Pakistani leaders paid tribute to Prof Rabbani, condemned his killing and reaffirmed their support for investigations into the incident and Mr Karzai thanked them for cooperation in the probe.

An Afghan team recently visited Pakistan, while a group of investigators from Pakistan travelled to Afghanistan for participating in the probe.

A source claimed that the two sides were close to reviving the joint commission.

This perception was strengthened by a statement issued by the prime minister’s office: “Both sides agreed on the need to strengthen mutual cooperation to overcome the common challenges of terrorism and extremism and expressed their resolve to work for the stability and peace of both the countries.”

During his meetings with leaders of religious parties, President Karzai asked for their help in restoring peace.

Talking to this reporter, Qazi Hussain said Mr Karzai had sought Jamaat-i-Islami’s help for pace in Afghanistan.

“We told him that foreign forces must first leave Afghanistan and then we can help the various factions to get together to resolve their differences.”

According to the sources, Abdul Rehman, a resident of Ghulam Muhammad Abad, has been handed over to local police station. He got missing from Faisalabad one year ago. Two FIRs have been lodged against him in the police station.

Maulvi iftikhar Ahmed, who got missing from Bahawalpur on 34th November, has also been recovered from Multan.