ISLAMABAD: Acting President Farooq H. Naek has said that NATO attack
in Momand Agency has made it necessary to take appropriate measures to
safeguard national interests.
This he said during his meeting with Pakistan‘s envoys in major capitals of the world here at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Tuesday.
He
said that whereas Pakistan‘s relationship with United States
constitutes an important component of its foreign policy, the changes in
the international environment since 9/11 warrant constant evaluation
and assessment.
Ambassadors present during the interaction
included Abdullah Hussain Haroon, Shahid Malik, Shahid Kamal, Khalid
Khattak,. Masood Khan, Haroon Shaukat, Zameer Akram, Khalid Aziz Babar,
Masood Khalid, Jalil Abbas Jilani, Muhammad Sadiq, Naeem Khan, Ms
Tehmina Janjua, Sohail Mahmood and Nafees Zakria.
Hina Rabbani
Khar, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh,
Federal Minister for Finance, Mr. M. Salman Faruqui, Secretary General,
Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, and other senior officials were also
present during the meeting.
The Acting President expressed the
hope that the collective wisdom of Envoys’ Conference would help in
policy evaluation and course correction if necessary.
He said
that in the present fast paced world it was necessary to correctly
comprehend new challenges and evolve a comprehensive response to them.
The response to the challenges, he said, should be balanced, pragmatic
and based on a realistic assesment of the political, economic and
military capital of the country.
He said that the rapid changes
at global as well as regional level were not only shaping the regional
environment but were also influencing Pakistan‘s domestic situation.
He
said that Pakistan was facing domestic and regional challenges in
fields of security, stability and socio-economic development and we need
to constantly evaluate the implications of the various global and
regional trends for our security, stability and prosperity.
The
Acting President said that Pakistan has always desired a cooperative
relationship with other countries based on mutual respect and mutual
benefit, non interference and respect for territorial integrity. We need
to move forward while remaining anchored in national interests, he
emphasized.
The Acting President said that national sovereignty,
dignity and honour were non negotiable. There cannot be any compromise
on them; there will not be, he said.
He said that the world was
becoming extremely competitive in terms of energy, trade and water
security and we need to focus on these aspects in our diplomacy.
He
advised the envoys to vigorously pursue the objective of solidifying
Pakistan‘s equations with the countries of their respective postings so
that each country could take maximum advantage of the existing
relationship.
Discussing regional situation with the
Ambassadors, the Acting President said that Afghanistan has always
remained an important factor in Pakistan‘s foreign policy.
He
said that Pakistan has always desired a stable, prosperous and friendly
Afghanistan as it was also crucial for our own stability. He said that
Pakistan‘s constructive relationship with the international community
especially with our neighbors was also important for our own stability
and development.
Farooq Naek also lauded the diplomats and the
Foreign Office for rising to the occasion in meeting the matrix of
challenges with professionalism, firmness and dignity.
The Ambassadors also spoke about various issues in the prevailing international as well as regional scenarios.
Later, the Acting President also hosted dinner for the envoys. Online
