ISLAMABAD: National Security Adviser Lt-Gen (Retd) Nasser Khan Janjua onSunday said Pakistan is a great and peace loving country which had alwaysstood along with world to contribute to global stability and prosperity.“Weall need to invest in peace instead of war. We want and we are working withthe world in a cooperative framework,” Nasser Janjua said this whileaddressing an International Conference of News Agencies.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb was guest ofhonour on the occasion. The two-day Conference entitled “Pakistan – MediaOpportunities and Challenges” is being organized by Associated Press ofPakistan (APP) to provide an opportunity to journalists for a direct andhassle-free linkage to cope with emerging competitive environment for newsagencies in the world. He highlighted, in detail, the different intriguingdimensions of Afghan conflict and said that no love stories are born out ofuse of force.”Let’s, collectively invest in peace and bring the closure tothis perpetual conflict instead of wining it,” he added. The Adviser alsosensitized the participants over the regional security environment andstressed that the US and the West should play a positive role inmaintaining security of the region which over a period has become quitefragile. Nasser Janjua highlighted character and role of Pakistan in recenthistory and the sacrifices rendered by Pakistan in on-going war againstterrorism, saying Pakistan has lost over 60,000 lives and billions ofdollars in the war. Nasser Janjua gave the delegation a detailedpresentation on regional security situation with a particular reference tofocusing on how Pakistan, its people armed forces, Law Enforcement Agencies(LEAs) and Intelligence Agencies performed brilliantly and resilientlyafter 1979 and 9/11.“Afghanistan is a story of pains. It is a story ofinjuries. It is a wound of the world and also of region, which should behealed as quickly as possible,” Janjua told the gathering which includeddelegates from around 15 countries, Secretary Information and Broadcasting,Shafqat Jalil, Managing Director APP, Masood Malik, senior journalists andstaff of APP.“Every investment has been made to win Afghan war, butunfortunately we have not invested in winning peace,” he said.

He termed Afghanistan as “wound of the world as well as the region” thatneeds to be healed, saying innocent people in both Afghanistan and Pakistanwere suffering since the Soviet occupation of Kabul in 1979. But now, hesaid peace was the only way forward. He said “I know how to fight. We arebold, brave, brilliant and beautiful nation, we also know how to fight. Butwe believe in peace.”Nasser Janjua said post 9/11 Pakistan stood withinternational community and not with those who inflicted atrocious attackon United States. On prevalent blame-game, he said, ”It is a strange momentin our history that the US and all others are blaming us that we aresupporting the militants.”

He said “the Taliban accuse us of supporting the US and vice versa. So bothare blaming us, who’s right?”The National Security Adviser said Pakistan’slocation makes it a strategic asset in Central and South Asia, having theability to connect the markets of Europe, Africa and other parts of Asia.Pakistan and Afghanistan share a lot of opportunities and have commoneconomic future with a potential to connect to the markets of Europe,Africa and rest of Asia, said Nasser Khan Janjua. Janjua saidunfortunately, children of Afghanistan have seen nothing but war since1979, whereas, Pakistan, after Afghanistan, is the most affected countryhit by instability and insurgencies,” adding that the people of Pakistanwant to see Afghanistan as a peaceful, prosperous and stable country.

The Adviser said China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is only half ofthe China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) dream, with Afghanistan beingtheother half as it will connect whole Central Asia and Europe. He saidPakistan is the only country that can multiply the regional economies.

He said Pakistan believed that building of economic corridor was conduciveto promoting connectivity and shared prosperity of the entire region andadded Pakistan believed in cooperative relations with all its neighbours onthe basis of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.“Pakistan, its people,Armed Forces and other LEAs have successfully fought insurgencies andmilitancy, and good news is that terrorism is decreased while peace isprevailing in the country,” he added.