*WASHINGTON:* Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua has said that Pakistan willnot take any decision under pressure from the US, adding that the nationalinterest will always be kept supreme come what may.
The foreign secretary during her official visit to Washington held meetingswith senior US officials, including US Deputy Secretary of State JohnSullivan at the State Department and Deputy National Security Advisor DrNadia Schadlow at the White House.
In her interaction with the US media, she underscored that a mutuallybeneficial bilateral relationship underpinned by mutual respect would servethe common interests of both the countries. While emphasising the need tocontinue constructive engagement across the entire spectrum of bilateralrelationship, she reiterated Pakistan’s desire to strengthen its longstanding relationship with the US.
The foreign secretary reaffirmed Pakistan’s constructive approach to worktogether with the United States for regional peace and stability. Sheexpressed the hope that enhanced economic engagement can open new vistas oflong-term cooperation besides strengthening the existing bonds offriendship between the people of the two countries. Janjua said Pakistanand the US wanted peace and stability in Afghanistan. She said Pakistan wasfast working on a border management project, which would be completed in acouple of years. She said an effective border management would help stopcross-border movement of insurgents.
The foreign secretary said Pakistan was doing all it can to force militantsassociated with the Haqqani Network to leave the country. Action againstmilitants would continue, she added.
She said the country was facing multiple challenges on the frontiers withthe war-torn Afghanistan and India. Anti-Pakistan elements in Afghanistanwere helping India to stoke tensions in Pakistan, she claimed, underlyingthe need for eliminating terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan, which sheclaimed were being used to sustain militancy in Pakistan.