Pakistan FM statement, adds soundbite on Indian FM comment.

(22 Sep 2001) 1. Wide shot of offices 2. Side shot of Riaz Mohammed Khan speaking 3. Media listening 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Riaz Mohammed Khan, Pakistan Foreign Ministry Spokesman: "The Indian Foreign Minister appreciated the opportunity of consultations and asked the foreign minister of Pakistan to convey to the President of Pakistan that India had no intention to add to the current complexities that the government and people of Pakistan are faced with." 5. Cutaway of media 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Riaz Mohammed Khan, Pakistan Foreign Ministry Spokesman: "We are maintaining a skeleton staff in Kabul. Our Ambassador had returned to Pakistan about two months ago. After 11th September, as is normal is such situations, we had decided to reduce our staff in Kabul. The Taliban government maintains an embassy in Islamabad. This embassy has served as a useful window for the Taliban with the rest of the world and for the international community to interact with the Taliban who control not just Kabul, but most of Afghanistan. In Islamabad the Taliban representative can hear, listen to, what the rest of the world is asking of them expects of them." 7. Cutaway cameras 8. SOUNDBITE (English) Riaz Mohammed Khan, Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesman: "We cannot completely plug in this border. There will be an influx of these refugees from other groups. We have already contacted the UN agencies and alerted them about the possible impending influx of refugees at the same time as I have stated earlier we have requested that the World Food Programme should ensure that its stocks inside Afghanistan, wheat stocks especially are maintained so that relief can be provided to these people inside Afghanistan so the pressure on them to cross over lessens." 9. Cutaway of presser STORYLINE: Pakistan's foreign minister called his Indian counterpart Saturday to discuss tensions that have risen between them regarding the U.S. war against terrorism. Pakistan has promised to provide U.S. forces with access to its air space and land if they decide to attack Afghanistan to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, the alleged terrorist mastermind who is the primary suspect in the September 11 suicide attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. India responded by accusing Pakistan of supporting the very extremists that Washington has pledged to fight: Afghanistan's hard-line Islamic Taliban rulers and Muslim extremists fighting for independence in India's portion of Kashmir. But during the phone call Saturday, the Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh told his Pakistani counterpart, that India had no intention of adding to Pakistan's difficulties as it joined the US led 'War on Terrorism' according to Riaz Khan a Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman Speaking in Islamabad, Khan also said on Saturday that the Taliban Embassy in Pakistan has served as a useful window for the Taliban to interact with the international community. The Pakistan Foreign Office was responding to Saturday's announcement by the United Arab Emirates that they had severed diplomatic relations with the Taliban government. Khan said Pakistan has scaled down its presence in Kabul and withdrawn its ambassador. But he did not say whether Pakistan will be taking further diplomatic action or not. Khan said Pakistan maintained a skeleton staff in Kabul even during the former Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan and would continue to maintain a presence in the Afghan capital. Following the U.A.E.'s announcement, only Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are left as recognising the Taliban government. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...