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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani called upon a group of United States Senators to devise a common strategy to promote relationship of Pakistan and United States beyond 2014.
He said, “it is also instrumental in assisting each other in intelligence sharing and defence co-operation with a view to keep the region stable.”
“As friends we should accept that we have divergence of views but we should learn to trust each other as our relationship is too vital for both the countries,” stated Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani when a delegation of US Senators led by Robert P. Casey called on him here Friday.
Other Senators of the delegation were Senator Michel Bennet, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Senator Richard Blumenthal.
The Prime Minister reiterated that Pakistan wanted a sovereign, independent, stable and prosperous Afghanistan.
“We support the process of reconciliation in the country which is Afghan-led and Afghan-owned. Pakistan is part of solution and not part of problem,” he added.
The Prime Minister mentioned about his two visits to Afghanistan and the Afghan President's visit to Pakistan, and added that the two countries shared the commonality of views over the process of reconciliation in Afghanistan.
He urged that the positive messaging from the two countries would help create an enabling environment for the leadership of both countries to strengthen their bilateral relations and also deny space to the terrorists to capitalize on.
The US Senators expressed their grave concern over the Improvised Explosive Devices(IED) which are killing the Pakistani and the US troops alike and there was a dire need to put in place a mechanism to regulate manufacturing, transportation, storage and distribution of ammonium nitrate used by terrorists.
Ammonium nitrate is used by the terrorists to make IEDs and the same chemical is heavily used by the fertilizer factories to produce fertilizer.
The Senators were told that the Government of Pakistan had already placed stringent laws which regulate the manufacturing, transportation, storage and sale of the ammonium nitrates. Pakistan has amended the Explosive Amendment Law to cope with the situation.
The Prime Minister said that Pakistan had already blocked about 20 million unauthorized SIMs preventing their misuse by the terrorists.
The Interior Secretary apprised the Senators that in collaboration with the US Embassy, an awareness campaign against IEDs will be launched next month so that people know the dangers involved and also how to protect themselves from the dangerous explosive device.
The Prime Minister said a Centre of Excellence had been set up at Raisalpur that exclusively imparts training to the personnel of the law enforcement agencies, enhancing their capacity to deal with the lethal explosive and saving the valuable lives.
The Prime Minister said Pakistan had good neighborly relations with all neighboring countries including India and Afghanistan.
The Prime Minister said it was welcome realization on the part of India that the talks between India and Pakistan should not be held hostage to terrorist attack of Mumbai.
He mentioned the recent fruitful visit of Pakistan's Foreign Minister to India and also earlier visits of the Commerce Secretary and Interior Secretary and exchanges at senior level between the two countries.
US Senators appreciated the sacrifices of Pakistan and extended their sympathies with the families whose near and dear ones had lost their lives in fight against terrorists.
