News
Thursday, January 13, 2011
US does not want to break up Pakistan
* US vice president assures no US boot will tread on Pakistani soil
* America is not enemy of Islam
* Rejects impression that US will impose war on Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: United States Vice President Joe Biden said on Wednesday the US does not want to break up Pakistan, refuting the claims that Washington has imposed its anti-terror war on the South Asian country.
Biden, during his meeting with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani at the Prime Minister’s House, acknowledged as “legitimate” Pakistan’s apprehensions about foreign intervention through Afghanistan.
The meeting that comes as the situation in Afghanistan enters a defining phase, provided an opportunity to both sides to exchange views on bilateral and regional issues.
The US vice president assured Pakistan of “no boots on the ground” and said it fully respected Pakistan’s sovereignty. “We are not the enemies of Islam and we embrace those who practice that great religion in our country,” he said. In a joint press conference with PM Gilani, Biden claimed that their discussions had been “extremely useful” before he turned to address anti-American sentiment, fanned by the ongoing war in Afghanistan and a covert US drone campaign.
“There are... some sections in Pakistani society and elsewhere that suggest America disrespects Islam and its followers,” Biden told reporters.
He said terrorism in Pakistan was a threat to both countries, and he referred to the killing of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer, who was shot dead by his bodyguard over his outspoken opposition to the strict blasphemy law. “The confessed killer has been hailed a hero by religious conservatives. Societies that applaud such actions end up being consumed by those actions,” the US vice president remarked.
According to an official source, the US, through this meeting, was interested in finding out “Pakistan’s bottom line” and its “intentions” regarding Afghanistan.
“We know that there are those — I am not talking about leadership, I am talking about the public discourse — that in America’s fight against al Qaeda, we have imposed a war upon Pakistan,” Biden said.
“They (al Qaeda) continue to plot attacks against the US and our interests to this very day,” he said, adding, “They have found refuge in the most remote parts of your country.”
“A close partnership between Pakistan and its people is in the vital self-interest of the United States of America and, I would argue... in the vital self-interest of Pakistan as well,” he added.
Biden also promised continued American support for Pakistan in the form of the Kerry-Lugar-Berman Law, which provides $7.5 billion in civilian aid over five years.
“My hope is, God willing, if I’m able to stand here next year with you, that we’re able to point to greater progress and greater resolve and greater prosperity for your people and mine,” Biden said, concluding his speech. agencies.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk