PM, US Secretary of State discuss bilateral ties, regional situation

Washington: US Secretary of State John F. Kerry along with the senior officials of the State Department called on Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif here at the Blair House on Wednesday.

Recalling their long and cordial interaction over the years, they took stock of recent developments in the relationship and stressed the need for continued high level engagements on all issues of mutual interest.

The Prime Minister briefed Secretary Kerry on the important achievements of his government over the last two years, especially in the economy and internal security domain.

Secretary Kerry assured the Prime Minister of the continued US cooperation to further enhance economic engagement between the two countries including in meeting Pakistan’s energy needs.

The two sides also discussed the situation of peace and security in the region and it was agreed that terrorism posed a common challenge to the regional and global security and reaffirmed their resolve to counter this challenge.

The Prime Minister informed the Secretary of State that the ongoing military operation Zarb-e-Azb as well as the National Action Plan were achieving the desired results in improving internal security and eliminating terrorism from Pakistan. It was pointed out that the incidents of terrorism in Pakistan had significantly reduced in recent weeks.

Secretary Kerry commended the significant gains achieved by Operation Zarb-e-Azb which had decimated the terrorist organizations in the border region.

Appreciating the commitment of the Prime Minister to promoting peace and security in the region, Secretary Kerry reaffirmed US support to work with Pakistan in this shared objective. He emphasized that Pakistan’s role in taking the reconciliation forward was critical to stabilizing Afghanistan.

It was further agreed that enhanced coordination amongst the regional countries would be imperative, to address these emerging threats to international peace and security. Informing the US delegation about his peace initiative contained in his statement at the recent session of the UN General Assembly, the Prime Minister underlined his commitment to contribute towards promoting a peaceful South Asia.

The Prime Minister apprised Secretary Kerry of Pakistan’s efforts to improve relations with Afghanistan and reiterated his commitment to seek normalization with India.

Secretary Kerry was briefed about the destabilizing role of Indian agencies in FATA, Balochistan and Karachi.

Three separate dossiers containing evidence of the Indian involvement in subversive activities were handed over to the US side, by Advisor to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz.

The Prime Minister was assisted by Finance Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Water and Power Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Advisor on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, Special Assistant to the PM Tariq Fatemi, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry and Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani.