Speaking to the media after the inaugural ceremony of three reconstructed berths at Karachi Port Trust (KPT), Gilani said such messages would create political problems for the government to promote relations between the two countries.
He said the US was an important country and that Pakistan wanted good relations with it “based on mutual respect and mutual interests.”
The US should take care of the feelings of 180 million people of Pakistan while issuing statements or commenting on important issues, said Gilani.
"Our 180 million people want to defend their motherland and its sovereignty".
Answering a question, the prime minister said he had canceled his US visit because he wanted to monitor the relief and rehabilitation operations in the flood-hit areas.
Gilani’s statement comes after US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, had said the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency was closely tied to the Haqqani Network, the most violent and effective faction in the Afghan Taliban insurgency.
Mullen said on Thursday the ISI had played a role in the September 13 attack on the US embassy in Kabul, supporting militants known as the Haqqani network. That network, he had said, is a “veritable arm” of the ISI.
COMMENTS (47)
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Correction: Pakistani elites ,leaders can't live without US.
I was seriously astonished reading most of the comments... @Imran.. Yes the kittens raided they took the body of the Man who watches his own videos continuously, was stupid enough to live in a place that looks different from the others out there(Ahan i forgot Osama bin laden loved to show off) Haina... And what then , they throw his body in sea... The body of that man who killed thousands.. and that person (Saddam hussein) who was making weapons of mass destruction or something which even they are not sure of, they humiliate his body till death... Yes Americans are very generous people.. They gave Gusal to Osama and than with Islamic tradition let his body fly to the bottom of the sea w/o taking any pictures... @John B... You fool... Haqqani you say.. Who made these people so strong... Who gave the SA-7 , the millions dollars in funds , the weapons and the training to these people???.. When the same weapons were against the Russians these people were the USA best buddies and when they are against them the Americans have nothing to do but to start a Blame Game...
I hope good sense will prevail on both sides. By the way can we live without USA?????
@malik: It is a Catholic Matrimony where divorce is not allowed unless one gets a eternal call from God. Here our PM actually wants to say that we can not live without USA. It is not necessary to mention the reason because reason has its own reason without knowing any reason.
This is a unfortunate statement by Pak PM which also highlights the paranoid mind of the Pakistan Govt.It should remember that all these years, the US has helped them in their recovery of economical and social life. The US has always wanted Pak to be strong in all sectors of life and with a strong government in Islamabad, the US would have benefited in many ways.
It's hard to see that Pak did not realize this and wasted its opportunity to improve its economy. Instead, all the aid received from the US was pumped into supporting terror modules on their soil and spoiling the overall image of Islam. In the shadow of jihad, it supported these elements (to create terrro in its neighboring countries) which has back fired on them miserably. Even China has started raising fingers against Pak's involvement in terrorism
It is further regretted that Pak kept harping over their stand that it is partner in war with US against terrorism but finds its footprints all over the world in all terror strikes. God knows when Pak will wake up and acknowledge their mistakes. May God give Pak better wisdom to look after the welfare of their country and progress in economy instead of indulging in activities which has exposed their nefarious designs
Gilani's statement has weight in itself if one understand how much energy and importance US investing in great game in central Asia and how much Pakistan is important for that matter because of all US adversaries around central Asia for which this great game is.. Washington know the value of statements coming from Pakistan leaderships. the importance given to central Asia by Washington is so much that it can't afford isolating Pakistan and it's people.
if one give a serious thought these statements coming from all quarter of pakistani leadership show the reality of relationship between US and pakistan.
@Independent Thinking
For example with the Haqanis… do you really think its a good idea for Pakistan to open up another war front..
Opening of another war front is now beyond Pakistan's control. What Pakistan needs to decide is whether it is on the side of Haqqani/Taliban/Al Qaeda and their LeJ/SSP/LeT offspring or on the side of US/Europe/Rest of the world. And the time to chose is now.
Do we really want to be creating more enemies?
That, precisely is what Pakistan needs to decide.
I don't understand why it's only Pakistan that feels like everyone in the world is its enemy. OBL was found in Abbottabad. Grow up and fix Pakistan rather than looking like a bunch of cry babies. The US isn't going to accept Pakistan's double game any more.
US should now match its words with some action or else its just bluster. only actions deliver results, not words.
after 911 george bush threatened to carpet bomb pakistani cities send them to stone age if we dont join the war it was stupid enough to join
All I can say is this that in this world "US Govt. is the biggest Terrorist, not their people but certainly those policy makers of US and free-masons lobby.
Hmm its sad reading some of these comments.... It seems we have lost all self respect.
I agree that we may not be able to fight the US in an all out war and we should look introspectively to see what we as Pakistan is doing wrong.. But that does not mean in any respect that become Sheep and keep following the Shepard....
Its about time we realise as a nation the only place we should ask for help from is God and not the West. Its time we realise that we as a nation have to stand on our own feet and take our destiny in our own hands...
Our decisions should be based on what is good for our nation, not what the Americans want...
For example with the Haqanis... do you really think its a good idea for Pakistan to open up another war front.. Do we really want to be creating more enemies?
Or is it better to tell the US to take its aid and leave the country, and together as a country work towards building our country and becoming self running.
I agree this would mean allot of hardships, but in the long term this is the only solution if we want to become a respected and strong nation.
@Pundit: They have been courageously defending it against the marauding murderers since time immemorial. Unfortunately, the majority population has been left out of the loop and this is in itself an unnatural and fractured policy of controlling the country.
Of course, it is a lesson of history that when the majority is not given its rights, they revolt after which, things get ugly. That is what is happening now. Have a nice day.
US cannot live with or without Pakistan: Gilani
Mr Prime Minister, by this logic US should have ceased to exist by now. Has it?
The delusion of self importance is truly astonishing.
Ok, Mr. PM. But can we live without the US? Can we live without the Taliban, LET etc.? To live with one is to live without the other. Can we live, just for us - ordinary folks? Whatever our choice and decision, it is high time we let the world know who we can live with and without. Quit the deadly charade of being in both camps. this duplicity is getting us killed by both sides.
The only reason the US has not gone after the Haqqanis where they are based is the desire not to harm innocent civilains, whom the Haqqani leadership surrounds itself with. Does America get any credit for this humanitarian approach even though its soldiers are being attacked by Pakistani based terrorists in ANOTHER COUNTRY? Of course not! Does America get any credit for not carpet bombing Waziristan and instead doing its best to only attack the actual militants with highly targeted missles? Nope. Does all of Pakistan condem the The Haqqani's, the Taliban, and the rest of the alphabet soup of terrorist orgnizations that not only fail to try to avoid injuring innocent people, but that SET OUT to murder as many innocent people as possible? No sir, they don't. On the contrary, the terrorists are lauded as heroes and "sons of the soil." The double standards are sickening, the hypocracy is sickening, your whole country is sickening. Stop pretending, America! Most Pakistani people and many in the Pakistani military and government consider America a bitter enemy. No amount of speaches, aid, friendly overtures, or negotiations are going to change this fact. Time to start treating them for what they are.
United States (US) cannot live with or without Pakistan . You may believe that but it's pretty clear the USA has come to a different conclusion.
Get real and wake up. USA was a free country and a democracy years before even the name Pakistan was imagined or heard. Since its birth Pakistan did not and could not live without the US aid, it is not the other way around. What kind of la la land are we living in?
@Imran , The mouse said to the elephant, “the bridge is shaking due to the weight of you and me”. tooo funny ..is it original ? . I think even pakistan is in a very tough situation ..We should support them in some way..Just think what if Haqqanis too turn their guns on Pakistan like TTP ,what mayhem and loosing the so called strategice depth in aghanistan for no benefit ?..America is asking too much here ..
@John B
That support for ISI and Haqqanis is driven more by the US being an untrustworthy ally and a 'friend' than for the love of Pakistan Army and its agencies.Fortunately most of us have read,heard and experienced the famous quote of Henry Kissinger.The Pakistanis think and (rightfully so) that the US has betrayed them,isolated them on a number of occasions and has taken India's side in mutual disputes. Not to forget this current mess which was a product of US withdrawal from Afghanistan after Soviet war and leaving Pakistan to deal with the likes of Haqqanis and Taliban on its own. I can safely assume that the kind of pounding NATO and the US is getting in Afghanistan, they will soon pack their bags and leave the region for one more time in a few years time.
If every country has the right to look after her own interests, Pakistan surely has the right to control 'players' that could help it in the post US era.The Indians are doing the same thing, Iranians are doing it and so is the US. Besides, we dont want to create a separate 'Pashtun belt' in our country by launching a new offensive against them for a Soon-to-be-retired General !
@Sad but true: Spot on. Ill gotten asset stashed out side could easily be frozen overnight. Dubai banks are no longer a safe haven.
As long as jihadi ideology exist in Pakistan, you cannot live in peace with them.... It not going to change, now America and then China, there ideology is very simple…fight till full domination of Islam.
@AnisAqeel: I couldn't agree more. You never lie to your friends.
The mouse said to the elephant, "the bridge is shaking due to the weight of you and me".
Pakistan is not and never have been such a fool to let out these big words.....theres a catch people....sumfins cooking!
He's right.
This is how a couple about to divorce speak to their neighbors. In any case, I see a strong rift in US-PAK relationship.
Oddly everyone in PAK is actually supporting Haqqani and ISI rather than questioning their institutions if it is true and why they support them?
ISI and Haqqani have so much power in PAK that everyone is rushing to defend their honor.
From the PAK reactions it is clear that the haqqani support network is very deep.
bcoz if US tries to escape from us pakistan and afghanistan will rejoin and USA will be in danger same like Afghanistan. so USA will shake hand soon. i bet.
US cannot live WITHOUT Pakistan ! - I can understand this bit.
US cannot live WITH Pakistan ! - I don't understand this !!
Will someone explain this to me?