WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Ali Jahangir Siddiqui has said peace in Afghanistan is his top policy priority and that his country remains committed to ending regional conflict. In an interview, he said Pakistan is working on a second portion of a fence at its border with its war-ravaged neighbour Afghanistan. The fence, he said, is a clear sign of Pak's interest in ending the regional conflict and will help bot nations equally in doing so. “Until we complete this fence, it's unreasonable to say we aren't doing anything,” Siddiqui said.
US President Donald Trump has in the past accused Pakistan of harbouring “agents of chaos” and providing safe havens to militant groups waging an insurgency against the US-backed government in Kabul. US Army Lieutenant General Austin Miller, Trump's nominee to head the US-led coalition in Afghanistan, released a statement to a Senate panel last month saying Pakistan has made “many sacrifices” and “its security forces have fought bravely” but “we have not yet seen these counter-terrorism efforts against anti-Pakistan militants translate into definitive actions against Afghan Taliban or Haqqani leaders residing in Pakistan.”
Former banker and private equity executive, Siddiqui also spoke on Pakistan’s economic imbalance saying the dwindling foreign reserves and widening current account and trade deficits require a “structural change”. He said a “major energy shortage” has hobbled Pakistan’s economy, including textiles that are its prime export, and suggested importing more US natural gas as a key to diversify his nation's energy supply while expanding trade relations. “Pakistan is on its way to becoming one of the world's largest gas importers, and the US is well on its way to becoming the world's largest LNG exporter. There is a lot of growth in our trade relation that could occur.”
Pakistan has achieved major gains against terrorism: Lodhi
Amid crashing flak on the recent attack on Afghanistan Sikhs, Pakistan's permanent representative to the United Nations, Dr Maleeha Lodhi said Pak has achieved major gains in countering terrorism, however, international cooperation is needed to eliminate the scourge across the world. Speaking at the general assembly high-level conference of heads of counter-terrorism agencies, the Pakistani envoy said these gains have come at a high human and financial price but this has not diminished Pakistan's resolve to fight on. She pointed out that the largest anti-terrorism operation was carried out by Pakistan which has deployed over 200,000 of its forces. She however asserted, Pakistan's Counter Terrorism strategy has involved more than just military means.
The Pakistani ambassador said no country can fight the menace of terrorism alone. Fight against terror largely depends upon strengthening regional and international cooperation, she said, adding Pakistan took the lead in the region and organised the first Islamabad International Counter-Terrorism Forum in April this year. “Terrorism and extremism remain among today's biggest security challenges, feeding off instability in many parts of the world and also fueling it,” Lodhi said.
