Pakistan and the United States are discussing several proposals to bring their relationship back on track, Foreign Office spokesman Moazzam Ahmad Khan said in his weekly news briefing on Friday. The spokesman, however, said no specific details could be shared at this stage. He said the recent visit of the ISI chief to the US was “very good and positive”. To a question, he dismissed the impression that the US released $280 million for power sector development in Pakistan in return for Islamabad’s commitment not to pursue Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project.
He said the US had released the amount for Mangla Dam and Kurram Tangi Dam under Kerry-Lugar Bill and this had nothing to do with Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project. To a question, the spokesman said Pakistan was deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in Syria and wanted a peaceful resolution to the issue based on principles of non-intervention, non-interference and non-use of coercive measures or force. The spokesman said Pakistan had shown concerns over the plight of Muslims in Myanmar, adding that President Asif Ali Zardari had written to his Myanmar counterpart expressing Pakistan’s concern over the issue and urging the Myanmar government to take urgent corrective measures.
About the visit of the Afghan High Peace Council Chairman Salahuddin Rabbani to Pakistan, the spokesman said Pakistan and Afghan governments were finalizing the dates that were mutually convenient for the visit.
He dispelled the impression that the visit had been rescheduled due to tension between the two governments. The spokesman said Pakistan attached importance to the visit and that was why Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf had extended an invitation for the purpose during his recent visit to Kabul.
