Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Monday called for a "major rehabilitation" plan for neighboring Afghanistan following a "short, sharp" military action to stamp out alleged terrorists.
"We need to plan a major rehabilitation effort in Afghanistan as fast and as soon on the heels of the action in Afghanistan [as possible]," he told a press conference the morning after US-led forces attacked Taliban sites across Afghanistan.
"We know that with these actions last night there are massive drops of food aid into Afghanistan," he said, referring to US food drops for 37,500 displaced Afghans which were timed to coincide with the military strikes.
"This is a very good sign that with the targeting of terrorist camps, the people of Afghanistan are being provided succor."
He said rehabilitation was essential to rebuild Afghanistan following more than 20 years of war and three years of drought, to create a stable state where religious extremism could no longer flourish.
The general said the reconstruction effort needed to focus on water management, land and agricultural redevelopment and rebuilding infrastructure so that the 3.7 million Afghan refugees around the world could return -- ISLAMABAD (AFP)
