Pakistan’s relations with the United States are back on track despite difficulties in the relationship in the past, which the two sides were trying to remove through “dialogue and discussions”, Foreign Office Spokeswoman Tehmina Janjua said on Thursday.
At the weekly press briefing, Janjua said the two sides were making efforts to recommence work on the strategic dialogue process and only two days ago a meeting of the working group on law enforcement and counter terrorism was held here in Islamabad.
IMPORTANCE OF RELATIONSHIP:
Janjua said there was recognition within the US administration of the importance of the relationship with Pakistan. “There are more positives in the relationship than negatives,” she said. Responding to a question about the reconciliation process in Afghanistan, the spokeswoman said Pakistan had categorically said it would support and facilitate the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process. “Pakistan is supporting the process because it is in its national interests to have peace and stability in Afghanistan. There is a two-tier mechanism to support peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan involving Pakistan, US and Afghanistan and the next meetings of these groups would be held in Islamabad for which dates are being discussed,” she added.
About cross-border attacks inside Pakistan from Afghanistan, Janjua said Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had taken up the issue with Afghan President Hamid Karzai during his recent telephonic conversation and he had expressed serious concerns about the issue. She said the situation, being created by militants, was causing loss of human life and damage to property inside Pakistan as well as in the border regions of Afghanistan. There was a common concern for the two countries on the issue, she said. Janjua said the joint working group of Pakistan and India on the Cross-Line of Control (LoC) confidence-building measures would meet in New Delhi on July 18.