ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari in a meeting with the US
delegation on Tuesday said that Pakistan and United States shared
common objectives in the region for stabilizing peace.
A US
delegation comprising of Senator Carl Levin, Senator Jeff Merkley,
Senator Jeanne Shaheen and other senior officials including that of the
US embassy in Islamabad called on President Asif Ali Zardari at
Aiwan-e-Sadr on Tuesday.
From Pakistan side, the meeting was
attended by Defence Minister Ch. Ahmed Mukhtar, Secretary General Mr.
M. Salman Faruqui, Senator Syeda Sughra Imam, Acting Foreign Secretary
Dr. Alamgir Babar, and Spokesperson to the President Mr. Farhatullah
Babar besides other senior officials.
Matters relating to Pak-US bilateral relations, war against terror and regional situation was discussed during the meeting.
The
President during the meeting said that both the countries have invested
substantially on building the process of strategic dialogue and we must
not allow some incidents to roll back the labor of building an enduring
and multifaceted equation as it was no option for the two countries at
this critical time.
The President said that drag on our
relations due to operation irritants can effectively be avoided if the
terms of engagements were clearly defined and followed in their true
essence by the two countries.
The President said that both the
countries need to avoid all actions that send negative signal and prove
to be counter-productive in our bid to forge a collaborative and
comprehensive partnership.
Discussing some recent developments,
the President said that Pakistan was concerned about the reports of
proposed slash in US assistance for the country. He said that any cut
in assistance would not only impact our existing economic conditions at
this critical moment but would also send a negative signal to the
public about commitment of US Government towards the people of Pakistan
when they are suffering heavily in economic terms due to unparalleled
toll of war against terror.
Emphasizing the need to avoid all
such legislations and uncalled for moves, the President hoped that all
such steps would be avoided.
About the fight against militants,
the President said that Pakistan had offered huge sacrifices in this
war. He said that the militants were created and nurtured by the
international community to defeat a rival ideology. At that time the
Mujahideen were likened as ’the moral equivalents of George
Washington’, the President said and added that it was the
responsibility of the international community to help Pakistan in the
fight against militants.
The President said that people of
Pakistan especially those of tribal areas were the worst sufferers of
militancy and there was an urgent need to focus on their socio-economic
development and to bring qualitative change in their lives in order to
win the battle of hearts and minds. He said that good education and
offering economic opportunities were the only effective tools to wean
the youth away from the traps of militants, on one hand, and to
permanently change mindsets, on the other.
Discussing regional
situation and the convergence of mutual interests in the region, the
President said that Pakistan and United States share common objectives
in the region. Pakistan, he said, would support every effort for the
stability of region and was ready to work with international community
for reconciliation and peace in the neighboring Afghanistan.
Senator Carl Levin thanked the President for meeting the delegation and appreciated Pakistan’s struggle against militants. Online
