LONDON, Oct 24: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed the hope on Thursday that following his meeting with US President Barack Obama, the issue of violation of Pakistan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty by drone strikes would be resolved soon.
Talking to reporters soon after his arrival here from Washington at the end of his four-day official visit, the prime minister said “hopefully soon the drone issue will be resolved according to the wishes of the Pakistani people”.
He said there would be progress on the matter definitely as violation of Pakistan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty was being committed. “I think this issue will now settle down somehow,” he said.
Giving an overview of his visit to the United States, Mr Sharif said: “We talked about all issues; I understand that in the past all issues should have been discussed. But if these issues were not discussed in the past, it does not mean they should not be discussed now.
“Whatever we say, we act upon it. And I understand that Pakistan’s politics should come out of duplicity and hypocrisy.”
Referring to the Amnesty International’s report which stated that the US might be committing war crimes by using drones, the prime minister said “whatever they say, it is up to them. But I think I have raised this issue where it should have been raised. And when something is said, it does have its effect”.
Regarding his talks with the US leaders to help resolve the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, he said: “The US should play a role.”
He said although India did not want any US role in the matter, Pakistan did want Washington to play such a role.
“I have read and heard the Indian foreign minister’s reaction to my earlier statement. We should talk to each other and this will be a very good thing. But if bilateral negotiations do not succeed, then if a third party helps in resolving the issue, there is no harm in it.”
Answering a question about Dr Aafia Siddiqui and Dr Shakeel Afridi, Mr Sharif said the US did raise its concerns as did Pakistan.
“Need of the hour is that we should understand each other’s concerns and then they should be addressed accordingly.
“I think now we have started this process of dialogue and you must have heard what Obama said today. I think his views were quite positive.”
The prime minister said he met very important people in the US administration who showed keen interest in the issues of energy, economy and education.
“This shows that they are deeply interested in Pakistan’s progress. My meeting with President Obama was quite long and we discussed all issues.”
To a question about his discussion about the release of Aafia Siddiqui, he said: “I can’t say anything on this issue."
“They discussed Dr Shakeel, we did discuss Dr Aafia. Now we are going back to Pakistan; we will review the situation and will think about it. After we complete our review and analysis, then we will talk to you [media].”
About his discussions on Pakistan’s energy issue, he said: “We asked them to urge their potential investors to come to Pakistan and invest in the energy sector.” He said they could invest in hydropower, Gadani coal project, wind energy projects and solar energy plants.
“We have started work on Bhasha Dam. Since our government itself is working on energy projects, I am sure foreign investors would also come and invest in this sector. We want to solve the energy problem very soon.” — APP
