News
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Pakistan, US should learn to trust each other, says Gilani
* PM tells US senators to devise a common strategy that covers relationship between two countries beyond 2014
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: As friends we should accept that we have divergence of views but we should learn to trust each other as our relationship is too vital for both the countries, said Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani when a delegation of US senators led by Robert P Casey called on him here on Friday.
The prime minister called upon the senators to devise a common strategy that covers relationship of the two countries beyond 2014 and was also instrumental in assisting each other in intelligence sharing and defence cooperation with a view to keep the region stable. The prime minister reiterated that Pakistan wanted a sovereign, independent, stable and prosperous Afghanistan. “We support the process of reconciliation in the country which is Afghan-led and Afghan-owned. Pakistan is part of solution and not part of the problem,” the prime minister added.
He mentioned his two visits to Afghanistan and the Afghan president’s visit to Pakistan, adding that the two countries shared the commonality of views over the process of reconciliation in Afghanistan. He urged that the positive messaging from the two countries would help create an enabling environment for the leadership of the both countries to strengthen their bilateral relations and also deny space to militants to capitalise on.
The US senators expressed their grave concern over the improvised explosive devices (IED), which are killing Pakistani and the US troops alike, adding there was a dire need to put in place a mechanism to regulate manufacturing, transportation, storage and distribution of ammonium nitrate used by militants. It may be mentioned that ammonium nitrate is used by the terrorists to make IEDs. The same chemical is heavily used by the fertiliser factories to produce fertilisers.
The senators were told that the government of Pakistan had already put in place stringent laws, which regulate the manufacturing, transportation, storage and sale of the ammonium nitrates. Pakistan has amended the Explosive Amendment Law to cope with the situation. The prime minister said that Pakistan had already blocked about 20 million unauthorised SIMs, thus preventing their misuse by the terrorists.
The interior secretary apprised the senators that an awareness campaign against IEDs would be launched next month in collaboration with the US Embassy, so that people could know the dangers involved and also how to protect themselves from the dangerous explosive device.
Gilani said that a centre of excellence had been set up at Risalpur that exclusively imparted training to the personnel of law-enforcement agencies, enhancing their capacity to deal with lethal explosive and saving valuable lives. The prime minister said that Pakistan had good neighbourly relations with all the neighbouring countries, including India and Afghanistan. The prime minister said that it was a welcome realisation on the part of India that talks between India and Pakistan should not be held hostage to terrorist attack on Mumbai.
He mentioned recent fruitful visit of Pakistan’s foreign minister to India and also earlier visits of the commerce secretary and interior secretary. US senators appreciated the sacrifices of Pakistan and extended their sympathies to the families whose near and dear ones had lost their lives in fight against militants. Other senators of the delegation were Senator Michel Bennet, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Senator Richard Blumenthal.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk