Pakistan on Thursday said it was looking forward to the normalisation of relations with the United States after the completion of ongoing parliamentary debate on “future terms of engagement” with Washington but its sovereignty was not open to negotiation.
“We are looking forward to the resumption of normal relations with the US following the completion of the parliamentary process which is currently underway. Pakistan remains committed, more than 100 percent against terrorism and militancy but its sovereignty is not open to negotiation,” said Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit addressing his weekly press briefing.
He was asked US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani met twice on the sidelines of the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit and the US president urged the prime minister to keep US’s security interests in view while he also expressed respect for the parliamentary process so how does he see the two aspects of Pakistan’s sovereignty and US’s security go hand in hand?
When asked about any progress on the issues of drones and reopening the NATO supply route, he said, “On the issues of drone attacks and reopening of NATO supply routes, I think we should better wait as to what policy directions the parliament finally gives us.”
On Pakistan’s decision to attend the NATO summit in Chicago in May, he said, “You may recall that our foreign minister has said many times that Kabul is the most important capital for Pakistan. We obviously want a peaceful and stable Afghanistan and we will continue making our contributions in this process. Regarding the Chicago NATO Summit in May this year we have not yet decided about our participation.”
On details of the meeting of General James Mattis with COAS General Ashfaq Kayani, he said, “I have nothing to add to what has already been released by the ISPR.”
On media reports that after the Chinese withdrawal, Pakistan was looking for Russian financial support for the gas pipeline from Iran, he said, “Yes, a Pakistani technical delegation is visiting Moscow early next month to have discussions on bilateral energy cooperation with relevant Russian authorities and companies including Gazprom.”
Asked that some reports say that Pakistan has accepted the Indian offer for supply of electricity to Pakistan, he said, “There is nothing concrete on this yet.”
