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He said the nation had paid heavily in the war against terrorism, losing thousands of men and suffering colossal economic toll. He said Pakistan was fighting its war against terrorism in a manner which was most suitable in the particular context and no one should question our commitment or intentions. “Where our soldiers took on the militants head on, we pursued policies and actions to wean away our youth falling into the traps of militants. The world can’t afford non-state actors to dictate their policies to governments as the militants wanted to change the existing order,” he added.
“Pakistan is an important regional player due to its geo-strategic location and it has always worked for promoting regional stability and peace. We have an abiding interest in the peace and prosperous Afghanistan and we will continue to support efforts to bring in peace and socio-economic prosperity in the neighboring country. Pakistan supports Afghan-led peace process,” he added. In his meeting with Grossman, Prime Minister Gilani underlined the need for validation of utility and efficacy of the Pakistan-US partnership by steadfastly proceeding with the strategic dialogue.
He said it was imperative that confidence and trust between the two countries was restored and cooperation at military and bilateral level, including intelligence sharing, was strengthened.
Ambassador Grossman acknowledged that reconciliation was a way forward in Afghanistan and the US government would support the Afghan led and Afghan owned reintegration and reconciliation efforts. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif told Grossman during their meeting that the case was sub-judice therefore it is better to wait for the court’s decision and refrain from giving statements in this regard. Both the leaders also discussed US-Pak relations in a cordial atmosphere.
