Islamabad reiterated its commitment during the defence talks between Pakistan and the United States in Rawalpindi. PHOTO: APP
Islamabad reiterated its commitment during the defence talks between Pakistan and the United States in Rawalpindi here on Tuesday.
Principal Deputy Secretary of Defence Kelly Magsamen along with a Defence and State Departments delegation held the 23rd Defence Consultative Group Meeting (DCG)-Interim Progress Review (IPR) between Pakistan and the United States. The Pakistani side was led by Defence Secretary Lt Gen (retd) Muhammad Alam Khattak.
Read: Apex committee meeting: Terrorists will be flushed out, says Nawaz
According to a statement issued by the defence ministry, the forum discussed all outstanding issues related to defence cooperation between Washington and Islamabad with the hope that they would be resolved on a priority basis.
The American side, the statement said, acknowledged that Pakistan was a stabilising factor in the wake of the drawdown of US-led foreign forces from Afghanistan, and Pakistan primarily wanted peace in the region. “For attaining the goal of peace Pakistan is cooperating with players in the region, especially Afghanistan,” the statement noted.
Defence Secretary Lt Gen (retd) Khattak apprised the visiting delegates of the help and support Pakistan was giving to the Afghan government. The delegation appreciated the role of Pakistan in supporting the talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government thereby increasing bilateral relations between the two countries.
The defence secretary highlighted the need for expanding the scope of the defence forum stating that “Pakistan is at the frontline fighting for the stability of the region.”
He said it was with the support of the US-led coalition forces and Pakistan’s armed forces that peace in Afghanistan had become possible. “Pakistan’s armed forces are committed to flushing terrorists out of the area in the form of continuing Operation Zarb-e-Azb,” he added.
His statement came amid renewed allegations by the Afghan leadership against Pakistan for sponsoring terrorism in the wake of recent wave of terrorist attacks in Kabul.
Read: General Raheel pledges to smash terror network
A day after a scathing statement issued by the Afghan president, the country’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Abdullah Abdullah also alleged that Pakistan was not cooperating with Afghanistan in anti-terror fight. A high-level Afghan delegation is expected to travel to Islamabad on Thursday to discuss Kabul’s concerns with Pakistani authorities.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 12th, 2015.
COMMENTS (8)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ