The United States will fail if Pakistan does not succeed in its war against terrorism, Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani said during an interview to Russian state-run news agency Novosti on Sunday.
Terming terrorism an international issue and highlighting Pakistan’s status as a front-line state, Prime Minister Gilani said that US “has now realised that Pakistan is not part of the problem, but it can play an important role in efforts to solve this problem”.
Terrorism, he said, recognised no boundaries or religion and its sole objective was to create instability and it operated on foreign agenda. He said that drone attacks were counterproductive as they created sympathies for the terrorists. He said that Pakistan had rendered great sacrifices in the war against terrorism, which was being acknowledged by the international community, adding that Pakistan’s nuclear programme was completely safe.
Referring to the cost paid by Pakistan in the war on terror, Gilani said that Pakistan’s economy has also suffered a lot. He said he hoped that the US “will soon accept that Pakistan had an important role in the solution of war against terrorism”.
Replying to a question, he said that Pakistan and the US were in this war together and if Pakistan fails, the US will also fail. Commenting on the status of the ties between Pakistan and Russia, Prime Minister Gilani said both countries enjoyed strategic relations since 1948 and both countries were working on a common strategy despite all kinds of fluctuations since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 18th, 2011.
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