Pakistan offers France sharing expertise on counter-terrorism

Valletta, Malta : Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Friday met French President Francois Hollande here and extended cooperation in counter-terrorism and intelligence sharing.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reiterated a strong condemnation of the recent Paris terrorist attacks, in a meeting with the French leader that took place here in the Maltese capital on the sidelines of 24th Commonwealth meeting.

Nawaz Sharif extended heartfelt condolences over the loss of precious lives in Paris and said Pakistan was ready to share its experiences with France on counter-terrorism.

He said the government and the people of Pakistan stood by France in this hour of grief. He mentioned that Pakistan had lost thousands of lives in fight against terrorism and said economy had suffered losses of billions of dollars as a result of terrorist attacks over the years.

The Prime Minister said in the past two years, Pakistan had made notable gains in the fight against terrorism and added that there was a countrywide consensus to root out the menace of violent extremism. He mentioned that the government had formulated the National Action Plan against terrorism as part of a comprehensive strategy to deal with this scourge. Also, the military operation Zarb-e-Azb had achieved remarkable results, he added.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said Pakistani regarded Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) as a terrorist organization and stressed the need for working together to find political solutions to the crisis.

He said Pakistan considered France a close friend and an important political, economic and security partner and desired to enhance relations both at bilateral level and in the context of the European Union.

Nawaz Sharif said Pakistan was looking forward to participate in the inaugural session of the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP) on Climate Change, in Paris on November 30. He termed the conference significant in concluding a comprehensive and universal climate change agreement.

President Hollande expressed gratitude for the Pakistani government and people for their moral support in the wake of tragic Paris incident. He said France was appreciative of the courage and resilience of Pakistani people for braving terrorism and extremism for long.