June 11, 2015
News
Pakistan will protect its vital interests at all costs: PM
Nawaz says CPEC game changer for Pakistan and region
INP
ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has emphatically declared that Pakistan will protect its vital interests at all costs.
Addressing an Envoys Conference in Islamabad on Thursday, he said, “Pakistan will protect its interest, but at the same time we will not abandon our high moral grounds in the face of provocations. We will not abandon the quest for a peaceful neighbourhood, but there should be reciprocity and acknowledgement of the overtures Pakistan has made to promote the dialogue process.”
The prime minister said externally-sponsored terrorism and violent extremism were grave threats to a secure and prosperous Pakistan. “The entire Pakistani nation was dismayed over recent irresponsible and imprudent statements from the Indian political leadership,” he added.
Nawaz Sharif said the issue of Jammu and Kashmir could not be relegated to the backburner of history. He pointed out that only on last Tuesday, during his meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Dushanbe, he urged him to play a proactive role in promoting peace in the region. The prime minister said he also reminded him that it was incumbent on the UN Security Council to ensure early implementation of its resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir.
Commenting on the Afghan situation, Nawaz Sharif said the two countries had moved closer. He said last month he told Afghan President Ashraf Ghani that the enemies of Afghanistan could not be friends of Pakistan, and that there were no good and bad terrorists. The two countries were strengthening their ties in trade, education, military training and intelligence cooperation, he added. He said Pakistan had conveyed to Afghanistan that its soil should not be used against Pakistan, “and we would make sure that terrorists do not establish hideouts in our territory”.
Prime Minister Sharif said the government was according highest priority to security and energy to ensure. “Operation Zarb-e-Azb had already taken down terrorists' networks, disrupted their command and control system and debilitated their supporting infrastructure. We are succeeding, but it is still a long haul, as we take on all kinds of ethnic, communal and sectarian violence,” he added.
He said the National Action Plan (NAP), which enjoyed consensus in the country, gave the necessary framework to counterterrorism effectively and decisively. “We will spare nobody as we choke financing for terrorism and sectarian violence and disable terrorists' logistical support systems. In this regard, we were enlisting assistance of our friendly countries,” he emphasised.
Nawaz Sharif urged envoys to promote Pakistan as a destination for investment, trade, production and distribution. “We have embarked on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is a game changer for Pakistan and for the region. The project will build Gwadar Port as a regional trans-shipment pivot, supported by a network of roads, railway lines, power plants, industrial zones, pipelines and fiber-optic cables,” he said.
He asked envoys to use their skills and ingenuity to create greater awareness about this historic initiative, dispel misgivings about it “and harness resources which can augment our efforts”. He said it was time for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) to become connectivity backbones for South, Central and West Asia.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk