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WASHINGTON: The war with India is not an option, said Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, while a senior US official urges Pakistan to work for the promotion of the peace in South Asia.
In an interview with Al Jazeera According to television, Qureshi, the new government has inherited tense relations with two key countries – India and the United States – and is working to strengthen ties with them.
In an interview with BBC UrduAlice Wells, senior US Assistant Secretary General for South Asian and Central Asian Affairs, said peace in South Asia was key to the region's prosperity and urged Pakistan to work in this direction.
In an interview with Al-Jazeera TV, the Foreign Minister said that there was no military solution – the only solution is a dialogue
Referring to Prime Minister Imran Khan's offer of peace to India on July 26, Qureshi said the search for a constructive dialogue with India was an essential part of the new government. "What we did … we thought it made sense.
Two neighbors with outstanding problems, the atomic powers. How do you correct things? War is not an option. There is no military solution: the only solution is a dialogue, "he said.
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Alice Wells also emphasized this point in her interview by saying: "We welcome the Prime Minister's statements on peace with his neighbors and any measures taken by Pakistan to this end".
Pakistani links
The US diplomat, however, has insisted more on the need to improve relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, a country in which the United States has been fighting a resilient insurgency for 17 years. "Pakistan must support economic stability in Afghanistan and allow transit trade between Afghanistan and India," she said.
Noting that better economic relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan would reduce tensions at the eastern and western borders, Ms. Wells said that better "border management" would also help to improve ties.
Foreign Minister Qureshi rejected the suggestion of previous Pakistani governments to help the Taliban. "They were helping their own country (and trying to do it) to overcome a situation they were not creating," he said.
He also discussed the ties that united the United States with Afghan freedom fighters during the 1980s, when Washington supported a mujahideen insurgency against the Soviet occupation forces. "Who were these people? Who supported them? Who trained them? We forget about history and we sometimes forget that friends change, "he complains.
"The people you supported, some people, called them extremists. Were not they invited to the United States? Did not they have fun at the White House? So friends change. Circumstances change. We were just defending ourselves and protecting ourselves, "he said.
Ms. Wells also referred to Islamabad's complaint that extremists were using Afghan territory to carry out attacks in Pakistan. "The United States disagrees with any cross-border terrorism. We know that TTP [Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan] takes advantage of the lack of control of the Afghan government in some areas, "she said, adding," We are working on bilateral talks (to remedy this situation) ".
In asserting that Pakistan did not want the Afghan territory to be used against Pakistan, Wells said, "We want to eliminate all Mullah Fazlullah-type terrorist groups." She said that Peace in the region should be a top priority for Afghanistan and Pakistan as "two have witnessed a wave of terrorism".
She added: "Afghanistan is trying to convince the Taliban to participate in peace talks, just as Pakistan is working to bring peace to the region."
US-Pakistan relations
Qureshi said Pakistan wanted to maintain friendly relations with the United States, while exercising its option to maintain relations with China and others. "We want the United States to be friends with Pakistan. We recognize that the United States is an important world power and that it will continue to be a military, technological and economic power in the near future, "he said.
"They are studying different options. they are looking for new friends in the area. We have friends who have been consistent and very valuable. China is one of them.
Qureshi said some other nations have also recognized Pakistan's strategic position and understood its importance. "So we are not alone, everyone has options".
Alice Wells acknowledged that Pakistan is "an important country in the region (and has) an important role to play".
Asked about her expectations of the new Pakistani government, she said, "We have the same expectations as we have from other governments in South Asia."
She added that Trump administration policy in South Asia aimed to eliminate all "terrorist activities" and "non-state actors" in the region. "We have already told Pakistan that terrorist groups are still active in the country and that they should be eliminated," she added.
Posted in Dawn, September 29, 2018
