Pakistan wants to have good relations with the United States based on mutual respect and clearly defined parameters, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Monday.
“I think that is doable. I think that it won’t take long,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Pakistan wants to rebuild its ties with the US despite the ongoing retaliation over deadly NATO airstrikes on its troops in Mohmand Agency,” he said. Gilani said new ties being negotiated with the US would ensure that the two countries “respected each other’s red lines” regarding sovereignty and rules of engagement along the border. While he gave few details, he made it clear he thought this was both desirable and possible. Gilani said the country remained committed to working with Afghanistan to bring insurgent leaders – many of whom were believed to be on Pakistani soil – into talks with the government and allow the US to begin withdrawing its troops as it was committed to doing.
“I think we have evolved some mechanisms, and we are ready to cooperate,” he said, referring to meetings with Afghanistan’s military and intelligence chiefs on a framework for talks. “We are committed (to reconciliation), despite that we are not attending” the conference on Afghanistan, he said. Pakistan refused pleas by Afghan and US leaders to attend the Bonn conference. Gilani said he did not regret skipping the meeting, saying “since the soil of Afghanistan was used against Pakistan in the NATO raids, there was a tremendous protest in my country and people were putting pressure that we not attend”. About energy shortages in the country, the prime minister said Pakistan should also be provided with civil nuclear technology like India and there should not be any discrimination against Pakistan.
“We are a country, where there is energy shortage, we have been talking with the US and there have been dozens of meetings… and they said the US would be assisting us in energy sector,” he said, adding, “We need a civil-nuclear energy deal with the US.” He mentioned the civil nuclear deal between the US and India, adding that Pakistan was not against the deal, “but at the same time we want that there should not be any discrimination”.
Khar meeting: Meanwhile, the prime minister met Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar who called on him and discussed the Bonn conference. Gilani said the world must respect Pakistan’s sovereignty, security and integrity as no compromise could be made on it. The two also discussed the statements of world leaders, including Hillary Clinton, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Gilani said Pakistan would do everything to safeguard its security and sovereignty.
PM hints at starting afresh with US
