- PM says will remind Obama of promise Clinton made to help resolve Kashmir dispute
- Sharif says US-Pak ties have improved significantly during the last two years
- Says Pakistan supports peace talks In Afghanistan; Pakistan abiding by commitment with Ghani to avoid ‘media wars’
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Sunday that he would remind US President Barack Obama of former president Bill Clinton’s promise to play an active role for the resolution of Kashmir dispute during his trip to the US.
In an interview with a local news outlet ahead of his visit to the US, the prime minister expressed hope that the United States would play its role to maintain the balance of power in South Asia.
“Peace in the region is vital for progress and US can play the part of an honest broker to bring both parties to table for resolution of all pending issues including Kashmir,” Sharif said.
During his visit in 1999, the then US president Bill Clinton promised to ’take personal interest in encouraging bilateral efforts to resolve the disputes between the two countries, including Kashmir’ in the joint declaration issued at the time.
Highlighting the importance of his visit, the prime minister stressed that Pakistan was playing its role for political stability in Afghanistan and hoped to have long-term peace in the neighboring country as it would have a positive effect on Pakistan also.
“We fully support the peace talks between Afghan government and the Taliban, and the US has also expressed similar wishes,” the prime minister said. He emphasised that all parties should cooperate to overcome obstructions in the path of peace process.
Sharif said that Pakistan would never allow its land to be used for interference in any other country. He revealed that after Ashraf Ghani came to power, there was an understanding between the Afghan and Pakistani government to not indulge in “media wars” and Pakistan had taken special care to abide by it. Both sides should resolve the differences through mutual cooperation and dialogue, he added.
Regarding the Pak-US relations, Prime Minister Sharif said that the relationship was following a positive trajectory and level of mutual trust had risen significantly over the last two years.
“Pakistan’s efforts against terrorism are being lauded and sacrifices acknowledged in the US,” he said.
He expressed desire for increased military and economic ties between the two countries while maintaining that Pakistan wanted trade, not aid from the US.
“Pakistan wants access to United States’ markets for industry’s growth and to generate employment opportunities in the country,” the PM said.
He said that Pakistan wanted good relations on equal footing with all global players and that for the first time in the country’s history, foreign policy was focused on increasing political and economic ties with all world powers.
Sharif said that the economic corridor project with China was part of his government’s vision to turn Pakistan into a global economic power. He said that the vision of Pak-China Economic Corridor had started taking shape in his mind even before the assumption of PM’s office.
“When I discussed this idea with the Chinese leadership, I was pleasantly surprised that they shared the same economic vision and I took it upon myself to make this dream a reality”, he said.
He expressed satisfaction with the progress of numerous power and infrastructure projects’ undertaken by his government.
“Our political opponents have been badly exposed in the eyes of the public, and efforts of the government have started bearing fruits,” he said. The prime minister also repeated his promise to overcome the energy crisis before the end of his term in 2018.
