Afghan conflict stagnated Pakistan’s prosperity, says PM

Says freedom of expression should not be used to stoke confrontation among faiths.

VIENTIANE/ LAOS:

The declining state of security, which caused a three-decade-old conflict in neighbouring Afghanistan, has not allowed our people the degree of prosperity they deserve, said Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Monday.

He was addressing the 9th Asia-European Meeting Summit (ASEM-9) in the capital of Laos. The summit with a theme of ‘Friends for Peace, Partners for Prosperity’ is being attended by heads of state from 49 member countries.

Both Asia and Europe have gone through financial crises during the recent years and it is time for both to learn from these harsh realities, he said. Ashraf added that he was glad to see that each side desired to share its experiences of financial crises to mitigate the impact of such downturns in the future.

Pakistan has made tremendous sacrifices to promote peace which should be recognised by the world community.

Underscoring the need to prevent regional conflict, Ashraf said, “The region’s enormous potential will remain underutilised if the atmosphere of conflict continues to prevail.”

Religious tolerance

“All religions teach tolerance and accommodation. We need to inculcate, promote and respect these values,” said the premier. He said freedom of expression should not be used to stoke confrontation between followers of different religions. “The threshold of decency must not be trespassed,” he added.

On the sidelines of the ASEM, while talking to representatives of various European Union states, Premier Ashraf said the government would hold free and impartial elections, and considers it important to strengthen democratic institutions.

Highlighting efforts made by the government to improve human rights situation, he said human rights is of prime importance to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). “We have taken several measures to improve the human rights situation in the country, including improvement of women’s lot and protection of rights of minorities,” he said.

The premier said Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with the European Union. He said this while meeting the President of European Council (EC), Van Rompuy, who called on him at his villa on the sidelines of ASEM-9 to discuss matters of mutual interests.

Rompuy briefed the prime minister about the efforts made by the EU to grant trade concessions to Pakistan which was appreciated by Premier Ashraf which, he added, would strengthen Pakistan’s economy.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2012.