Pakistan on Thursday said that it wanted good friendly relations with the international community, including the United States, but would not compromise on national sovereignty. “Pakistan-US relations have witnessed many ups and downs. From the Raymond Davis case to the 26 November US/NATO attacks on the two Pakistani posts at Salala, things have come to a point where it is necessary to rewrite our bilateral terms of engagement,” said Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit addressing his weekly press briefing.
“This will be good for both our countries as policies based on realistic and shared objectives would be far more tenable than a relationship facing frequent strains because of opaqueness and unilateral actions. We want our relations with the US to be based on mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual interest,” he said. “We want good relations with the international community including the United States but there will be no compromise on national integrity and sovereignty,” he said.
Asked what action Pentagon had indicated to be taken against the personnel involved in the November 26 NATO strike on Pakistani border posts, he said, “I am not sure about these media reports. As I have been saying all along, we want to have a good relationship with the US, a relationship that is based on mutual trust and mutual respect. Let us wait for the parliament to complete the review process.” To a question, he said, “We would like the Jammu and Kashmir dispute to be resolved according to the relevant UN resolutions. Meanwhile, it is important that the overall situation improves for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.”
“We support their legitimate aspirations and there is a debate going on in India as well, to this effect. The people of Jammu and Kashmir are against the Public Safety Act, the Disturbed Area Act and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. One hopes that these black laws would be revoked in order to improve the overall situation,” Basit said.
To a question on Iran threatening to block the Hormuz strait, if needed, he said, “We believe that the issues surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme should be resolved peacefully and there is already a mechanism in place. Escalation of the situation will be in no one’s interest.”