Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani talking with US Acting Special Representative for Pakistan & Afghanistan Frank J. Ruggiero at Parliament House on Thursday. – Photo by APP

ISLAMABAD: Acting US Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Frank Ruggiero assured Pakistani leaders on Thursday that Washington remained fully committed to its strategic relationship with Islamabad.

“One of the objectives of my visit is to express continuity in America’s policy towards this region,” the acting special representative told reporters here.

A statement issued after a meeting between Prime Minister Gilani and Ambassador Ruggiero said: “Mr Ruggiero informed the prime minister that he had been sent to Pakistan by the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to convey US government’s firm commitment to continue with its strategic partnership with Pakistan.”

Ruggiero was appointed acting special representative to the region after Ambassador Holbrooke’s death last month.

On the first day of his two-day visit, besides meeting Prime Minister Gilani, Mr Ruggiero announced $190 million aid for victims of last year’s floods.

On Friday, the US special representative will meet Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and other senior officials. He will also sign an assistance contract for construction of two dams.

Mr Ruggiero’s visit came at a time when Pakistani leaders were worried about a possible shift in US policy towards the country and the region as a whole. These fears were particularly reinforced by the Afghanistan-Pakistan annual review released last month, which specifically mentioned Pakistan’s reluctance to go after Taliban sanctuaries in its tribal areas as a major obstacle to success in Afghanistan.

The pressure being exerted on Pakistan by the US to go after the sanctuaries has brought fresh strains in relations.

Prime Minister Gilani expressed some of those concerns in his meeting with Mr Ruggiero.

The statement by the Prime Minister’s Office clearly showed Mr Gilani complaining about indifference to sacrifices rendered by Pakistan.

“The prime minister underlined that the assistance being offered by Pakistan friends and allies as well as by international financial institutions should have taken into account the objective conditions and Pakistan’s sacrifices to ensure that ordinary people of Pakistan do not face further hardships,” the statement said, adding that Mr Gilani reiterated his government’s commit-ment to war on terror.

Mr Gilani’s complaints, the acting envoy was quoted as saying: “President Obama fully recognises sacrifices of the Pakistan armed forces and civilian population in the war against terror.”