BBC News, April 1, 2008

Pakistan 'dumped nuclear waste' in Afghanistan

Parliamentary affairs minster Faruq Wardag told the BBC the waste was buried in the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand.

By Martin Vennard

The Afghan government says it has evidence that nuclear waste from Pakistan was dumped in Afghanistan during the reign of the Taliban.

Parliamentary affairs minster Faruq Wardag told the BBC the waste was buried in the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand.

The minister said he did not know how much waste was dumped or for how long the practice had gone on.

Pakistan said it would comment only after Kabul approaches it officially.

Mr Wardag said he did not know the exact nature of the evidence.

He said the government was setting up a commission to investigate the matter.

A Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman said he could not comment until the Afghan government made an official statement about the allegations.

The Taliban were in power in Afghanistan from 1996 until they were overthrown in 2001.

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