Pakistan Changes Position On Role Of Former King Of Afghanistan Zahir Shah

Pakistan has changed its position on the role of the former King of Afghanistan Zahir Shah in the politics of the country. Italian diplomatic circles said that Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf at a meeting in Islamabad with Deputy Foreign Minister of Italy Margherita Boniver stated that the ex-king, Zahir Shah, might play a certain role in the future political structure of Afghanistan. The sources said that Pakistan is expecting the former king to send his representative to Islamabad to deliver the major points of the agreement with the representatives of the Northern Alliance on the creation of the Supreme Council of National Unity of Afghanistan signed in Rome Monday. The Supreme Council is to form a transitional government after the Taliban leaves the political arena. Earlier, Pakistan had a negative stance in relation to the possibility of Zahir Shah's appearance in the political life of Afghanistan. Pakistan also disapproved of the negotiations in Rome between the former Afghani king and the Northern Alliance, which form military and political opposition to the Taliban.