The prime minister’s speech in English before a largely Swati gathering suggested that the target audience was not the one seated before him. — File Photo

MINGORA: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani cautioned the United States on Wednesday against pursuing narrow interests that hurt Pakistan’s sovereignty and self-respect.

“Pursuing narrow interests at the cost of coalition partners and aspirations of people will be self-defeating,” Mr Gilani said while speaking at a seminar held to showcase a ‘de-radicalisation initiative’ launched by the military which it bills as an expression of its resolve to fight terrorism and radicalism.

The prime minister’s speech in English before a largely Swati gathering suggested that the target audience was not the one seated before him. Mr Gilani’s words echoed the unease in army over Washington’s moves that discredit Pakistan government and military – constricting its space of cooperation with the US. Besides Obama administration’s ‘strong-arm tactics’ employed to pressurise Pakistan into ‘compliance’, the military is also upset over the leaks by US officials, which it says cast their counter-terror efforts in a negative light.

“Pakistan’s efforts in political and military domain for combating terrorism need recognition at international level. There is a need to bridge trust deficit and allow Pakistan space to manoeuvre and contribute significantly without international pressure.”

Mr Gilani’s words in Mingora sharply contrasted with his statement, heavily tinged with diplomatese, a couple of days ago at the US embassy’s national day reception. He categorically called for respecting Pakistan’s interests and the ‘red lines’ set by it.

The red lines, formulated shortly after President Obama’s inauguration in 2009, clearly state aversion to ‘foreign boots in Pakistan’, expansion of drone attacks to Balochistan and maligning of army and ISI.

“Cooperation in counter-terrorism warrants a partnership approach, which fully accommodates others’ interests and respect for the clearly stipulated red lines,” Mr Gilani noted.

He regretted that American actions adversely impacted his government’s counter-extremism measures.

Alluding to the issue of Kashmir, he said the problem of extremism could be ‘sustainably’ addressed by resolving “longstanding political issues”. He observed that the unresolved political problems were being exploited by militants as ‘psychological tools’.

Ties with India

He used the opportunity to speak on revived dialogue with India urging it to be more accommodating to Pakistan’s security concerns.

“Pakistan views India as most important neighbour and desires sustained, substantive and result-oriented process of dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir. We sincerely hope that ongoing process of comprehensive engagement will be fruitful. However, India will have to play more positive and accommodating role and respond to Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns.”

The prime minister said India would not find Pakistan lacking in will to write a new chapter in bilateral relations.

About Afghanistan, with whom Pakistan is locked in a fresh controversy over cross-border militant raids and exchange of mortar rounds, he reiterated his government’s commitment to “independent and sovereign Afghanistan without any external influence”.

On the counter-terrorism efforts, he said the government had enacted a Legal Framework Order ‘Actions in Aid of Civil Power’ in Fata and Pata for fighting terror.

The law was signed by President Asif Zardari on June 23, but the government has been reticent about it because of controversy over some of its clauses.

Trying to address the concerns of the detractors of the new law, he said: “In due course, it would be extended to the settled areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and subsequently to entire Pakistan through acts of provincial and national assemblies, respectively.”

Advocating the new law, the prime minister maintained it would provide answers to a host of questions starting from requisitioning process of army in aid of civil power, prolonged detention of terrorists and, most importantly, expeditious dispensation of justice.