ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi says Pakistan and theUnited States are partners in fighting terrorism, which is their commonenemy.
In an interview published by the Washington Post, he said if PresidentDonald Trump looks at Afghanistan from Pakistan’s perspective, he willunderstand that the reality of Islamabad is very different from theperception he has. He said Pakistan is a US ally.
The Prime Minister said Pakistan and the United States have a very strongrelationship, but in the last 15 years, it has kind of gone downhill.
To a question about US policy statement that Pakistan provides sanctuariesto Afghan terrorist, he said that no such sanctuaries are left in Pakistan.If someone provides us with a location, we will take action against that.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said there has not been even a single instance whereactual intelligence has been provided to Pakistan and it has not been actedupon.
The Prime Minister said we have assisted the US forces and will continue toassist them. There have been over 1.1 million overflights within ourairspace of US aircraft going to Afghanistan. There have been millions oftons of equipment and cargo going there.
He said that this will continue as Pakistan believes that these measureshelp in the war against terror. It helps bring stability to Pakistan, so wesupport that effort.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said Pakistan is fighting the largest war on terror inthe world. We have 200,000 troops fighting a war against terror today onthe western border. We have lost 6,500 troops. We have defeated the sameenemy the rest of the world failed to defeat in Afghanistan, on the sameterrain, with our own resources.
The prime minister said Pakistan and the United States have had a verystrong relationship, but in the last 15 years, it has kind of gonedownhill. Adding a whole new dimension is this tweet.
He said security assistance was minimal. There were some military sales andwe bought some F-16 fighters, which we did not receive. All that has doneis degrade our ability to fight the terrorists.
He said on the ground, the reality is that in the last year, 29 suicidebombers crossed over from Afghanistan into Pakistan and attacked ourinstallations.
The prime minister said we are committed to fighting the war againstterror. There are no two ways about it. We have assisted the U.S. forcesand will continue to assist them.
He said our relationship with China is 70 years old. We have military andeconomic cooperation and now the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor , whichis the most visible part of the initiative that China has taken. It is agrowing relationship.