PR No. 201
PRESS RELEASE
Chief Ministers call on Prime Minister
Islamabad 18th July, 2010Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has stressed the need for more focus on legislation to ensure and strengthen good governance in the country.
The Prime Minister while talking to the Chief Ministers who called on him in his office at Prime Minister’s House this morning prior to the meeting of Council of Common Interests said that the reconciliatory environment created after 2008 Elections should be helped to persist as political gamesmanship distract from focusing on solutions of common man problems. He further said that the common people are not interested in political wrangling rather expect that elected representatives devote their time and energies for their welfare.
**PMMO/Ahmad**
PR No. 202
PRESS RELEASE
Islamabad 18th July, 2010Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has said that the forum of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) needs to play a more effective and visible role to resolve issues between federal and provincial governments through mutual consultation and discussions.
Welcoming the Chief Ministers, other members of the CCI and Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, Chairman of the Implementation Commission to the 12th meeting of the CCI, the Prime Minister has hoped that the supervision over related institutions by the CCI would also be a significant step towards participative management by both the Federation and the Provinces.
The Prime Minister has said that it is a matter of immense satisfaction for the political leadership of the country that the 18th Constitutional Amendment was unanimously passed with the support of all the political parties in the Parliament. He has further said that the 18th Constitutional Amendment is indicative of the wishes of the people of Pakistan and provides greater autonomy to the Provinces in managing their resources and ensures delivery of service according to their priorities. Now the Provinces through CCI will also be participating in major policy formulation on the issues of national and provincial importance, he added.
The Prime Minister said that previously, the Council could take cognizance of complaints by the Provinces, Federal Capital and Federally Administered Tribal Areas in respect of water from any natural source of supply. The Council, he added, can now take care of similar complaints pertaining to the ‘reservoirs’ also. He has further said that the Provinces in case of any dispute in respect of matters referred in Article 157 of the Constitution can also approach the Council for resolution of their disputes. He has observed that the Implementation Commission is taking steps to ensure that matters which need to be brought before this forum, are not taken to any other forum.
The Prime Minister has elaborated in the meeting that the 18th Amendment has also brought following significant changes in respect of the CCI:-
i. The Council has to be chaired by the Prime Minister. Previously, the President could appoint any Federal Minister, if so proposed by the Prime Minister, to be the Chairman of the Council.
ii. The Council has to submit an annual report to both the Houses of the Parliament.
iii. The Council has to be constituted within 30 days of the Prime Minister taking oath of the office. Previously, this period was not fixed and the constitution of the Council remained undecided.
iv. The Council has now a permanent Secretariat and is required to meet at least once in 90 days.
**PMMO/Ahmad**
PR No. 203
PRESS RELEASE
Shahbaz Bhatti CONDEMN rape of student nurse of Jinnah Hospital Karachi.
Islamabad 18th July, 2010Federal Minister for Minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti has strongly condemned the rape of student nurse of Jinnah Hospital Karachi, while calling it to be heinous act of human brutality. He said the rapist of innocent daughter of Pakistan cannot escape from the exemplary punishment and must be brought to justice.
Federal Minister for Minorities contacted the Sindh Government and asked to take immediate and appropriate steps to provide of justice and protection to victim nurse.
He said that the elements involved in the rape of innocent girl who was serving the humanity, are the filthy blot on the face of humanity and must not be let go to damage the very fabric of our society.
The Federal Minister also contacted the victim family and assured them of solidarity and cooperation in these trying time. He said it is the responsibility of every patriotic citizen to condemn such type of heinous crime.
**SJK/Ahmad**
PR No. 204
PRESS RELEASE
Islamabad 18th July, 2010The Council of Common Interests (CCI) which met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani today at the Prime Minister’s House unanimously passed a resolution approving the construction of Diamer-Bhasha Dam. The resolution reflects national consensus, said the Prime Minister, and would send a positive signal for the future progress and prosperity of the country.
The CCI was apprised that the Diamer-Bhasha Dam, on completion in 2019, would have the water storage capacity of 6.4 MAF and would produce 4500 MW of electricity. It was also mentioned that the Dam would pay back its cost within eight years after its completion.
Concluding the meeting, the Prime Minister gave special directions to the Ministry of Water & Power to develop a scheme for development of infra-structure to support the early completion of Thar Coal Project. He further directed that the Ministry of Railways to give detailed briefing on making Railways a viable entity and also asked the Statistics Division for briefing on the Population Census in the next meeting of the CCI.
The CCI which met for the first time after the passage of 18th Amendment took up five agenda items in which it passed the rules and procedures for the newly constituted CCI. As per the Constitution, the CCI was required to meet within the prescribed time frame of 90 days after the enactment of 18th Amendment.
The CCI was given a detailed briefing by Mian Raza Rabbani, Chairman Implementation Commission, on the stage of implementation of 18th Amendment and the work so far undertaken by the Implementation Commission.
The meeting took note of the NEPRA’s Annual Report 2008-09 and the Statement of Industries Report 2009. The Council constituted a Sub-committee to submit its report within one month on the working and functioning of NEPRA within the constitution. The said Sub- committee comprises Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister for Petroleum & Natural Resources, Mr Arbab Alamgir Khan Minister for Communications, Mir Humayun Aziz Kurd, Minister for Livestock and Dairy Development and Mian Raza Rabbani. The four Chief Ministers of the Provinces shall also name their nominees for the said Committee.
As regards Intellectual Property Organization’s summary seeking provincial support for implementation of Intellectual Property Rights, the Council directed that the summary be resubmitted after consultation with the provinces incorporating appropriate proposed changes in the law.
The meeting was attended by all its members including: Chief Minister Punjab Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Chief Minister KPK Mr Ameer Haider Khan Hoti and Chief Minister Balochistan Nawaz Muhammad Aslam Raisani. Syed Naveed Qamar Minister for Petroleum & Natural Resources and Mir Humayun Aziz Kurd Minister for Livestock & Dairy Development. Mian Raza Rabbani attended the meeting as special invitee.
**PMMO/Ahmad**
PR No. 205
PRESS RELEASE
PAKISTAN-IMF HOLD SUCCESSFUL TALKS
Islamabad 18th July, 2010A delegation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), led by Mr. Adnan Mazarei called on the Federal Minister for Finance, Dr. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh here yesterday.
During the meeting, the Federal Minister for Finance appreciated the efforts of the IMF technical team and the support that have been provided since November 2008.
Mr. Adnan Mazarei informed Dr. Hafeez Sheikh about the results of technical discussion.
The IMF delegation discussed the issues of performance criteria and the prior actions pertaining to the fiscal and monetary factors. It was agreed to continue the discussions on the programme review in the first week of August in Washington DC.
The Secretary Finance and the Special Secretary Finance were also present during the meeting. (End).
PR No. 206
PRESS RELEASE
INVESTMENT IN BIRTH SPACING KEY TO REDUCING MATERNAL MORTALITY
U.S. DELEGATION ACCOMPANYING HILARY CLINTON PARTICIPATES IN NATIONAL CONSULTATION ON BIRTH SPACING
Islamabad 18th July, 2010High level U.S. delegation accompanying U.S. Secretary of State, Ms. Hilary Clinton participated in a National Consultation on Birth Spacing organized by the Ministry of Health here today. The U.S. Delegation was led by the Administrator of USAID, Dr. Rajiv Shah and included besides others Ms. Maria Otero, Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs and Democracy at the U.S. State Department and Ms. Robin Raphael, Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Sector, Begum Shahnaz Wazir Ali and Federal Health Minister, Makhdoom Shahabuddin besides a team of high ranking officials including the Federal Secretary Health, Khushnood Akhtar Lashari, Director General Health, Prof. Rasheed Jooma and Federal Secretary, Population Welfare, Shaukat Durrani were present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Begum Shahnaz Wazir ali said Birth Spacing was an efficient and effective strategy for better health of the mother and child. She said the country’s health and population policies were on the anvil which focuses on equity an efficient use of resources. She envisaged increased involvement of the civil society and private sector in the area of mother and child health in the coming days. There is a paradigm shift n provision of health-care-delivery to the people as far as the present Government was concerned she added saying the Government was looking at efficient delivery of primary health-care services with integration of health and population at the service delivery level.
Federal Health Minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin said the current state of indicators in relation to Millennium Development Goals on mother and child mortality was far from the required and we need to redouble our efforts. The Minister said the Government of Pakistan People’s Party was committed to improving the lives of womenfolk In this connection the social and economic empowerment of women were imperatives that are being achieved through initiatives like the Benazir Income Support Program and the Lady Health Workers and Community Mid-wife Programs in the Health sector which ensure provision of health-care at the doorsteps of women while also providing them jobs.
Terming fertility reduction as the single most potent strategy to reducing maternal mortality, the Minister said “We see Birth Spacing is not just an integral part of maternal and new-born care but also as a right of women who want to postpone their next child but are unable to find the means to do so” He informed the gathering that a third of birth intervals of women in the country is less then 24 months which puts the well-being of both mother and child at risk.Head of the U.S. delegation, Dr. Rajiv Shah lauded the initiative of the Ministry of Health for its initiative towards improving the health of mother and child with a view to brining a significant reduction in maternal and child mortality. In this context the new
Birth Spacing Initiative of the Ministry was commendable he added. It is an established fact that Birth Spaiign Services work efficiently to reduce Maternal Mortality Rates and improve maternal health said Dr. Shah adding that Pakistan was among the six countries of the world having the highest maternal mortality rates. Affirming support to the health sector in Pakistan, Dr. Shah said the Obama administration recognizes that the key to improving health status of a country was to improving its health systems. We hope to support the Lady health Worker’s Program, Mother and New-born Child Health Program and the Expanded Program on Immunization said Dr. Rajiv Shah adding that strengthening Primary Health-care Delivery System was a priority.
Earlier in his presentation, the Federal Director General Health, Prof. Rasheed Jooma said the lady health workers were providing 54 percent of contraceptives used in their areas. Elaborating the country’s need in the area, he said to provide comprehensive Birth spacing services, 78 Million U.S. Dollars are required over a period of 3 years.
Secretary Population Welfare, Shaukat Durrani speaking on the occasion elaborated the steps being taken by his Ministry and spelt out the challenges.
Dr. Zeba Sathar, Country Representative of the Population Council made an impressive presentation pleading the case for investment in Birth Spacing She said the fertility rate in Pakistan was higher then other countries of the region and there were 890,000 induced abortions in the country annually. Investing in Birth Spacing will take us closer to the Millennium Development Goals as over 100,000 deaths can be averted by suitable birth spacing and large birth intervals can take us close to our target of 40 deaths per 1,000 live births.
ENDS.
PR No. 207
PRESS RELEASE
Islamabad 18th July, 2010Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has strongly condemned the attack on Imam Bargha, Sargodha and expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives. He ordered provision of best medical facilities to the injured and also asked the authorities concerned to investigate the incident.
The Prime Minister said that terrorists want to trigger sectarian clash but the whole nation is united to foil their nefarious designs. He further said that the government is committed to eradicate extremism and terrorism and will ensure security of life, property and worship places of all citizen at all cost.
PR No. 208
PRESS RELEASE
STUDENTS OF FATA TO GET PRE-DEPARTURE TRAINING FOR USA
Islamabad 18th July, 2010Federal Minister for Environment Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi will be the Chief Guest in Opening Ceremony of 2 weeks Pre-Departure training of FATA students going USA through US Students Exchange Program (SEP) organized by USAID Funded ED-Links, tomorrow at Margallah Motel, Islamabad.
According to this program, talented students of FATA would visit reputed educational institutions and important places of USA. Moreover, in this regard selection process has been done purely on Merit basis. Twenty six students including 07 girls and 19 boys students have been given representation at national level for caring out a detailed survey and evaluation of their educational performances. It is hoped that through 2 weeks pre-departure training, the students of FATA would get maximum benefit from this opportunity and enhance their language skills as well. It is also hoped that these students would not only act as Ambassador of Pakistan but also promote their soft image of Tribal areas of Pakistan during their visit.
PR No. 209
PRESS RELEASE
Islamabad 18th July, 2010Pakistan and Afghanistan have reached an understanding on all major issues relating to the Afghan Pakistan Transit Trade to conclude the process of negotiations in this regard.
It has been agreed that no Indian export to Afghanistan will be allowed through Wahga. However, Afghanistan would have the opportunity to export to India. Reciprocally, Pakistan would be able to export its goods to Central Asia through Afghanistan.
The broad based record note signed this evening at the Prime Minister’s House in the presence of Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and US Secretary of State Ms. Hillary Clinton states that; Pakistan and Afghanistan hope that resolution of all outstanding matters relating to the finalizatioin of Afghan Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement would help in the early signing of the Agreement, after completion of legal processes from both sides. The Agreement thus signed would be an important milestone in the development of Pak-Afghan Trade and Economic relationship to the mutual benefit of both sides.
The borad based record note signed by Makhdoom Muhammad Amin Fahim, Minister for Commerce and Dr. Anwar-ul-Haq Ahady, Minister for Commerce and Industries of Afghanistan mentions that the Afghan trucks will be allowed to carry Afghan Transit Export Cargo on designated routs to Pakistani seaports and Wahga. The Afghan transport units, on return, shall be permitted to carry goods from Pakistan to Afghanistan under the same expeditious procedures and conditions as Pakistani transport units.
It was also decided that all Afghan transit goods will be exported in containers of international specifications. For a period of three years, the cargo will be allowed to be transported in internationally acceptable and verifiable standards of sealable trucks while the oversize and bulk cargo which is not imported in containers – ship load will be transported in open trucks or other transport units. It was also agreed that export of perishable goods in transit will be transported in open trucks or other transport units.
According to the record note signed, the drivers and cleaners will be allowed to enter/exit the two countries on permits, identified by the biometric devices installed at the entry points.
It was also agreed that an Arbitral Tribunal will be established bilaterally. In case of failure to agree on a common name of third Arbitrator, two names of non-nationals and non-residents will be proposed by each side and the third Arbitrator will be selected by drawing lots from the four proposed names.
To tackle the issue of unauthorized trade, it has been agreed that tracking devices on transport units will be installed and a mechanism for custom to custom information sharing (IT data and others) will be established. In this context, it has also been agreed that financial guarantees equal to the amount of import levies of Pakistan have to be deposited by authorized brokers/custom clearing agents to check the un-authorized trade and these deposits will be released after the goods exit the country. In case, the goods do not exit the country within specified time, the guarantees will be encashed by the custom authorities. Moreover, the agreement to be signed will be subject to any other measures to be taken by APTTA. The prime minister has appreciated the efforts of Commerce minister and his team.
PR No. 210
PRESS RELEASE
HILLARY CLINTON CALLS ON PRESIDENT ASIF ALI ZARADRI
ASSURES ADDOITIONAL US SUPPORT IN ADDRESSING ENERGY AND WATER ISSUES
ISSUES RELATING TO STRATEGIC DIALOGUE, ENERGY NEEDS, POST CONFLICT REHABILITATION AND REGIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY SITUATION DISCUSSED
Islamabad 18th July, 2010Secretary of State Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton leading a high level US delegation Sunday evening called on President Asif Ali Zaradri at Aiwan-e-Sadr assuring Pakistan of additional US support in addressing issues in energy water and agriculture on priority basis in the ongoing strategic dialogue
Matters relating to the strategic dialogue between Pakistan and the US, bilateral relations, regional situation, fight against militancy and mutual cooperation and assistance to Pakistan were discussed during the meeting.
Spokesperson to President Farhatullah Babar said that the President called for a focused and result oriented strategic dialogue adding that issues relating to Pakistan’s energy needs were most important and needed to be dealt with urgently. Other subjects that came under discussion during the talks included drone attacks, post-conflict rehabilitation of the affected areas, strengthening of the law enforcing agencies and the timely reimbursement of coalition support funds arrears.
The meeting that was followed by dinner was attended among others by Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Interior Minister Mr. Rehman A. Malik, Finance Minister Hafeez Shaikh Water and Power minoister Raja Pervez Ashraf Farzana Raja Secretary General Mr. Salman Faruqui, Foreign Secy Salman Bashir Pakistan’ Ambassador in the US Hussain Haqqani and Spokesperson Farhatullah Babar.. US Ambassador in Islamabad Ms. Anne W. Patterson and Mr. Richard C. Holbrooke and senior Embassy and State Deptt officials were also present during the meeting. Hillary was also greeted by the Presidents daughters Bakhtwar Bhutto Zardari and Aseefa Bhutto Zardari
Welcoming Ms. Clinton on her second visit to Pakistan in less than a year, the President said that her visit as part of the strategic dialogue was a manifestation of the deepening strategic ties between the two countries. It was reassuring that the long term political and strategic partnership of our two countries was, as it had to be, based on mutual interest, common values and shared goals, the President said. A durable and long lasting relationship must also be based on respect for democracy and sovereignty and a joint commitment to fight the forces of extremism and militancy.
Issues relating to peace and stability in the region were also discussed in the meeting. Farhatullah Babar quoted the President as saying that dialogue was the only way forward as the absence of dialogue created doubts and tensions. He said that isolated incidents of militant acts should in no way be allowed to derail the dialogue for peace process. The militants wanted to derail the peace process by provoking a thoughtless and knee jerk reaction to a calculated militant act, he said. Our reaction has to be mature and not knee jerk to frustrate the designs of extremists, the President said.
About Afghanistan the President said that Pakistan has legitimate interests in promoting peace and stability in that country. The President called upon the international community to synergize their efforts for restoration of peace, stability and prosperity of a war torn Afghanistan and said that Pakistan would support international efforts and would provide all assistance for capacity building of the Afghan institutions.
Drone attacks, rehabilitation of the internally displaced persons, strengthening of the law enforcing agencies, the coalition support funds arrears and Pakistan’s energy needs were discussed in the meeting.
About the drone attacks on Pakistani territory, the President said that it undermined the national consensus against the war on militancy and reiterated Pakistan’s call for transfer of done technology to it for use by its own security forces against the militants for wider public acceptability. The President also called for timely payments of Coalition Support Fund and said that piling up of arrears hampered the fight against militancy.
The Spokesperson quoted the President as saying that Pakistan welcomed US declarations of support to democracy in Pakistan and the country’s security and stability and economic development and emphasized that the continued support must be based on mutual respect and trust.
President Asif Ali Zardari said that the democracies of the world can help speed up the process of healing and development by helping democracy in Pakistan and rendering assistance in critical areas of social and economic development. The area that needs urgent attention and immediate support is that of meeting the energy needs of the country, he said.
The President said that the Government of Pakistan Peoples Party has a clear vision and strategy. We are keen to meet the energy challenge head on and pursue policies of public–private partnership to promote investment and production to create jobs and wean away the frustrated youth from resorting to extremism, the President said. Social integration through reforms and poverty alleviation is the top most priority of the Government, he added.
The President said that Pakistan needed assistance in stabilizing its economy through investment promotion, overcoming the energy crisis, facilitation in getting market access, capacity building of civilian institutions and investment in education and social sector as measures for long term fight against the militant mindset. He also urged for the speedy delivery of equipment to fight insurgency.
Placing the issue of militancy in its perspective the President said that decades ago the international community chose to fight the rival ideology by creating non-state actors and employing them in the battle ground. After defeating the rival ideology the international community abandoned the region and the non state actors it had nurtured and who had now turned around to haunt the region and the world, the President remarked.
He said that this situation inevitably led Pakistan to become a security driven state neglecting the people and their uplift. The international community now owed it to Pakistan and to itself to help rebuild the country economically and socially, he said.
Farhatullah Babar said that the President called for pursuing a well structured economic development agenda in Pakistan. The central points of this agenda are energy development and access to Pakistani goods in the U.S. and European markets the President said and called for early legislation in the US on Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (RoZs).
The President said that Pakistan had suffered a huge loss of over 40 billion dollars during the last eight years as a result of the fight against militancy besides unquantifiable cost in terms of social and human losses and urged early fulfillment of the pledges made at the Friends of Democratic Pakistan forum.
President Asif Ali Zardari said that militancy and terrorism was the common enemy and that the existing cooperation between the two countries must continue to fight the menace. He said that defeating the extremists on ground was one part of the battle and that complete success required that we changed the militant mindset through creation and provision of opportunities to the people. He said that both the countries need to cooperate in order to give local people hope through creation of jobs and other economic opportunities.
US Secretary of State Ms. Clinton thanked the President for the warm welcome extended to her during her visit. She appreciated the efforts being made byPakoistan for economic stability and poverty alleviation. Saying that the Administration was conscious of the need for creating economic opportunity for the Pakistani people in their fight against militancy she reiterated US commitment to support the people of Pakistan to strengthening of democratic institutions for promoting stability and investment in energy, education and social sector. She expressed a determination to strengthen the ties between the two countries in all areas particularly in areas of energy, water agriculture and trade development.
Meeting over dinner is still continuing.
PR No. 211
PRESS RELEASE
Islamabad 18th July, 2010Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has expressed his satisfaction on the successful sectoral track meetings of Pakistan-US Strategic Dialogue based on which he said Pakistan had prepared a set of documents envisaging our vision strategy and future plans for taking the relationship beyond the war on terror and Kerry Lugar assistance programme. He expressed the hope that the Fifth Round of Strategic Dialogue scheduled for tomorrow to be co-chaired by Foreign Minister of Pakistan and US Secretary of State will be productive and produce positive results.
He was talking to Ms. Hilary Clinton, US Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs who called on him at the Prime Minister’s House here this evening.
The Prime Minister reiterated his invitation to President Obama to undertake an exclusive state visit to Pakistan in the near future. He said that President Obama’s visit will not only booster the democratic forces in Pakistan and strengthen bilateral relations, it will also create a positive image of the US amongst the people of Pakistan. The Prime Minister underlined the importance of public diplomacy which in his view was vital for removing misperceptions on both sides and building higher amount of trust between the two sides.
While dilating on the meeting of Council of Common Interests earlier in the day to build the consensus on Bhasha Dam among all the federating units, the Prime Minister underscored the present energy shortages in the country. He urged for US Government’s assistance in building water reservoirs and enhancing the power generation capacity. He also underlined the need for greater economic cooperation between Pakistan and US to address the root causes of terrorism like illiteracy, poverty and under development. He hoped that now that substantive discussions under various tracks of strategic dialogue had already taken place, the US side would expedite its decisions for finalizing pledges in Pakistan in these areas. The Prime Minister stated that his government was planning to announce a Malakand Package to undertake reconstruction and new development projects in that area and provide incentives to the affected people for their improved livelihood.
While appreciating that US was actively engaging with Pakistan to deliver on its pledges made at Tokyo Donors Conference and encouraging other donors to do likewise, the Prime Minister regretted that most of the pledges had remained unfulfilled and his government urgently wanted the disbursement of the committed amount to finalize the Malakand Package.
The Prime Minister also urged the US for its enhanced assistance in capacity building of Pakistan law enforcement agencies and intelligence sharing between the two sides to enable Pakistan as the front line state against terror to succeed in its campaign to route out the menace from its soil. The Prime Minister stated that his government wanted to make greater investment in the education sector particularly to target the vulnerable population to the militant’s out fits to provide them the same boarding, lodging and education facilities as was being extended by the Madrissas. He hoped that the US government would help Pakistan on this account.
The Prime Minister dispelled the misperceptions in the past about the alleged human rights violations during the course of operations against the militants by emphasizing the fact that his government was fully committed to protecting and promoting the rights of its citizens without discrimination as provided under the Constitution. He said that the campaign to malign Pakistan can potentially have negative impact on Pakistan’s anti-terror campaign. He urged the Secretary of State to sensitize the legislators in the US Congress and Senate about the ground realities in Pakistan.
The Prime Minister said that his democratic government attaches great importance to its relations with Afghanistan and it considers peace and stability in Afghanistan contingent upon a peaceful and secured Pakistan. He expressed satisfaction that both sides had agreed to sign a broad based record note which would facilitate the new Afghanistan-Pakistan Trade Agreement in the near future. The Prime Minister also stressed that Pakistan wants to have good neighborly relations with India as well and would like both sides to address all the issues and disputes between them peacefully.
The US Secretary of State Ms Hilary Clinton profusely commended the Prime Minister’s leadership and his personal interest in promoting multi-farious cooperation and strengthening the bilateral ties with US. She stated that she saluted his government’s resolve to fight terrorism and her government was fully appreciative of the extra-ordinary sacrifices made by Pakistan in its war. The Secretary of State said that US was committed to a long lasting strategic relationship with Pakistan based on mutual interests of both sides. She said she would be making specific announcement tomorrow to help Pakistan in energy and water conservation sector. She said the Administrator of USAID who was accompanying her, after Fifth Round of Strategic Dialogue, would also hold discussions with the relevant Pakistani authorities for deciding upon the projects for bilateral cooperation in host of areas.
Dilating on the cooperation between the two countries in war against terror, the Secretary of State conveyed her government’s condolences on increased attacks at shrines, mosques and other religious sites. She referred to the US experience of creating a mechanism of coordination between state and central government to promote combined efforts for meeting the security threats. She hoped that measures would be taken by the Pakistani authorities to have increased coordination and cooperation between the Federal and Provincial intelligence and law enforcing agencies. The Prime Minister informed her that his government was in the process of establishing NECTA which is specifically meant to foster greater intelligence sharing between Provincial and Federal Governments.
The Secretary of State acknowledged Prime Minister’s personal role in the efforts to normalize relations with India and hoped that these efforts would bear fruits in the near future.
She thanked the Prime Minister for extending invitation to President Obama for visit to Pakistan and stated that she would convey the invitation to her President while the date of visit would be decided through diplomatic channels.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Minister for Defence Ch Ahmed Mukhtar, Minister for Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Minister for Information & Broadcasting Mr Qamar Zaman Kaira, Minister for Interior Senator A Rehman Malik, Minister for Water & Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Minister of State for Finance & EAD Mrs Hina Rabbani Khar, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Ms Shahnaz Wazir Ali, Senator Syeda Sughra Imam, Secretaries Foreign Affairs and Defence, US Ambassador Mrs Anne W Patterson, US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Mr Richard Holbrooke and other senior officers are present in the meeting.