Dec 10 , 2015
News
Pakistan a strong advocate of Afghan peace: PM
ISLAMABAD: Terming the fight against terrorism an irreversible process, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Wednesday Pakistan was a strong advocate of peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. Talking to US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who led a delegation to the PM House, he said the government’s resolve to eradicate the menace of terrorism was getting stronger. The prime minister said his government took the decision to start operation Zarb-e-Azb in tribal areas to eliminate terrorism and mentioned loss of precious innocent lives and sacrifices of army and law-enforcement officials in this fight. Antony Blinken said the United States appreciated the commitment of Pakistani leadership towards promoting peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. He lauded Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s strong statement of endorsing the legitimacy and sovereignty of Afghan government and Afghanistan. He said the US recognised Pakistan’s efforts in its fight against extremism and terrorism and would help Pakistan and Afghanistan in promoting good economic relationship in future. Separately, talking to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi who called on the him, the prime minister said that the Chinese leadership has played a key role in laying the foundations of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and appreciated its support to Pakistan. “Pakistani nation is grateful to Chinese leadership for taking the relationship on the highest level. We thank Chinese leadership for supporting Pakistan in our energy and infrastructure sector,” he added. The Chinese foreign minister said that China and Pakistan shared the same destiny. The CPEC was the largest comprehensive project with any foreign country, he said, adding Pakistan and China were partners in this comprehensive cooperation. He said implementation of CPEC projects was in full swing and it would bring a great change in the region. The Chinese foreign minister said that Pakistan had played an important role in the Heart of Asia conference. “We appreciate the leadership of Prime Minister nawaz in leading the war against extremism and terrorism,” he added. Also, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zareef called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The prime minister said Iran and Pakistan have historical bonds which will become stronger in the future. The Iranian foreign minister lauded Pakistan for hosting Heart of Asia Conference to ensure peace and stability in the region. He said Iran is determined to work with Afghanistan and Pakistan to eliminate extremism and terrorism from the region. Javad Zareef said we hope that all obstacles in the way of economic cooperation between the two countries will be removed after lifting of sanctions.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk