ISLAMABAD: Visiting British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond emphasised on Tuesday that Pakistan should continue working with India and Afghanistan for denying space and opportunity to anti-peace elements in the region.
Secretary Hammond, who arrived here from Kabul, met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, besides holding talks with Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz.
Mr Hammond’s agenda in Islamabad centred around Pakistan-UK relations and regional issues including the peace process in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s ties with India.
The message the British foreign secretary gave in all his meetings here was that non-state actors should not be allowed to hijack the process of foreign policy decision making in the region.
Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, he underscored, should cooperate sincerely in defeating the designs of terrorist and extremist groups.
The secretary showed a good understanding of the Pakistani position on various issues and avoided condemning Pakistan for the problems in the region. He instead believed that the issue of non-state actors and other terrorist groups was not specific to one or two countries, but had roots throughout the region.
He in particular appreciated the actions being taken by Pakistan in dealing with extremism and terrorism and its outreach to its neighbours.
“You are doing the right thing by reaching out to your neighbours. Your message of peace is in fact reaching to the entire world, which is reassuring,” he told Prime Minister Sharif, according to a PMO statement.
At the GHQ, he lauded Pakistan Army’s counter-terrorism operations and its contribution to stability in the region.
Pakistan has been helping Afghanistan in efforts to start a peace dialogue with Taliban for ending the 15-year-long civil war.
Meanwhile, it has been cooperating with India not only in investigating Pathankot airbase attack, but lately in sharing intelligence about terrorist planning.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Foreign Office on his meeting with Mr Aziz, Secretary Hammond said: “I urge both Pakistan and India not to allow non-state actors and other pressure groups to derail the peace process.”
He praised Pakistan’s commitment to investigating the Pathankot attack and hoped it would make progress.
Mr Hammond, however, advised against making Kashmir issue a precondition for restarting the Pak-India dialogue.
The two countries had in December agreed to resume the dialogue, but a meeting of the foreign secretaries of the two countries is getting delayed because of Pathankot attack.
About terrorism afflicting Pakistan and Afghanistan, his opinion was that it was a mutual issue that required bilateral cooperation.
“There are people carrying out terrorist attacks in Pakistan who are fleeing into the relative safety of improperly governed areas of eastern Afghanistan. There are people carrying out attacks in Afghanistan who have been using ungoverned space in Pakistan as a haven,” he observed and asked the governments of both the countries to prevent their soil from being used against the other.
Mr Aziz hoped that the setback suffered by plans for restarting the Afghan reconciliation process would be overcome in the coming days.
“I hope in the coming days some progress can be made and (subsequently) gain momentum,” he said.
Regarding the Pakistani investigators’ visit to India in connection with the Pathankot probe, he said the team would leave in a few days.
He also confirmed intelligence sharing with India regarding a terrorist plot.
“This (intelligence sharing) showed Pakistan’s commitment to fight terrorism,” Mr Aziz said, but expressed surprise at India leaking the same to media.http://www.dawn.com/news/1244520/pakistan-should-join-hands-with-neighbours-to-deny-space-to-militants-hammond
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