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Pak minister to try to stop demolition of Buddha statues

Pakistan has decided to send Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider to Afghanistan to dissuade the Taleban militia from destroying the 2000-year-old Buddha statues, media reports said in Islamabad Friday.

The decision was taken after a flurry of meetings following the arrival of Pakistan military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf from his eight day tour of Saudi Arabia on March 7, the Pakistan Observer said.

Haider will leave for Kandahar on Saturday "to mediate between the Taleban and the world community," the daily said.

Interior ministry officials, however, said they were not aware of any such visit.

Haider had returned from a not-so-successful mission to Kabul and Kandahar last month during which he failed to persuade Taleban to sign an extradition treaty with Pakistan.

The news of Haider's proposed visit to Kandahar comes a day after Pakistan leadership summoned Taleban Ambassador to Islamabad, Mulla Abdul Salam Zaeef, to convey its displeasure over the destruction of the heritage monuments.

Pakistan's attempts to mediate were seen here as an effort by Islamabad to deflect criticism that it had done little to prevail on Taleban despite a plethora of appeals from the world community.

Pakistan Foreign office spokesman Riaz Mohammed Khan said Zaeef was informed about Gen Musharraf's appeal to the Taleban not to destroy the statues.

Khan, however, said that Taleban's refusal to budge from its decision would not affect Pakistan's ties with the Taleban.

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