Normalising India ties: Pakistan counts on US help

THE HAGUE:

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has asked the United States to play its role in normalising relations between Pakistan and India.

Emerging from a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry on the fringes of a two-day nuclear summit, the premier told journalists that India was hesitating to resolve the Kashmir issue bilaterally.

If New Delhi is not willing to include a third force in resolving the Kashmir issue, then the US will have to play its role in normalising the situation in the South Asian region, he added.

The prime minister said peace in Afghanistan was in the interest of Pakistan and the region. Pakistan wants to talk to the Afghan High Peace Council to maintain peace in the region, he said, adding that improved relations between Islamabad and Kabul should not be derailed.

He appreciated the discontinuation of US drone strikes in Pakistan and said that the US must continue this policy.

Secretary Kerry said the United States has great confidence in Pakistan’s nuclear security and would continue to work with Islamabad in fighting terrorism. He also assured Pakistan of cooperation to help meet its energy needs.

Kerry said the two countries were ‘deeply engaged’ and would focus on the issue of terrorism, counterterrorism, global energy besides Afghanistan and Pakistan-US bilateral relations.

Prime Minister Nawaz said there were plenty of challenges for his government that came to power nine months ago. However, he added that his government was taking measures to address these challenges.

He also mentioned his meeting with US President Barack Obama a few months ago in Washington DC and said the dialogue with the US would continue.

Secretary Kerry referred to his recent meeting with Premier Nawaz’s top aide on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz and said he was looking forward to his meeting with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar soon.

The two leaders reaffirmed their desire to continue the strategic dialogue between their countries which cover a wide range of areas.

The prime minister also had informal interactions with US President Barack Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Turkish President Abdullah Gul. Bilateral relations and mutual interests were also discussed in these meetings.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2014.