BBC News – Pakistan-Iran pipeline work ‘to begin on 11 March’

Work on a gas pipeline between Iran and Pakistan will begin on 11 March, Pakistani officials say.

The project has led US officials to warn that it may fall foul of sanctions on Iran’s nuclear programme.

The long-delayed project is seen in Pakistan as a way of combating the country’s chronic energy shortages with supplies of Iranian gas.

Officials told Pakistani media they hoped the presidents of both countries would attend a ceremony on 11 March.

President Asif Ali Zardari visited Iran earlier this week, meeting his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, and finalised the multi-billion dollar deal.

Officials say the pipeline on the Iranian side of the border has been completed, and that this month will see the start of work on the project in Pakistan.

On Wednesday, the US warned Pakistan to “avoid any sanctionable activity” in connection with the project.

“We think that we provide and are providing the Pakistani government and people a better way to meet their energy needs,” State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell told reporters on Wednesday.

Last year Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar insisted the pipeline was “in Pakistan’s national interest and will be pursued and completed irrespective of any extraneous considerations”.

Power shortages have become a major issue in Pakistan, with the government ordering an investigation into a nation-wide power cut on Sunday blamed on a technical fault in a plant in south-western Balochistan province.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21628143

Dawn – Gandhi for ‘civilised’ dialogue: Khurshid says process not to be derailed

Jawed Naqvi

New Delhi, 19 January 2012. India’s Congress party president Sonia Gandhi offered hopes for a revitalised peace process with Pakistan on Friday but told her colleagues at a two-day brainstorming session in Jaipur that any future dialogue must be based on civilised behaviour.

In comments that matched with the party’s position, likely to be reflected in a Jaipur resolution on a gamut of national issues expected to be released on Saturday, Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid told a TV channel that the government would respond positively to Pakistan’s appeal to keep the dialogue on.

The latest Pakistani appeal came from High Commissioner Salman Bashir in New Delhi on Thursday. The Pakistan envoy urged New Delhi in a TV interview to accept his country’s offer for talks at the foreign minister level to defuse tension over repeated ceasefire violations along the LoC in Kashmir. He said there was a need “to bring back normalcy. I believe it is in mutual interest of both the nations to use the offer made by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister (Hina Rabbani Khar) to deal with the present state of affairs.”

Ms Gandhi reminded her audience that India’s place in the comity of nations was spurred by its strengths at home.

She called for improved economic performance, and also spoke of the need to deepen secularism and democracy to more firmly secure India’s presence on the high table of global affairs.

“Better and closer relations with our immediate neighbours will not only make for regional peace, they will also have a positive impact on some of our own border states,” she said. “However, let us be very clear our dialogue must be based on accepted principle of civilised behaviour. We will never compromise on our vigil and preparedness to deal with terrorism and threats on our borders.”

Mr Khurshid told NDTV that India would not let the recent tension along the Line of Control upset the peace process with Pakistan and that the government would “respond positively” to what Pakistan High Commissioner had said.

“The peace process has been something in which a lot of time has been invested and we won’t let these incidents that have happened recently affect it,” he said.

He was responding to Mr Bashir’s statement that dialogue was the only way forward to ease the tension between the two countries over the killing of two Indian soldiers near the Line of Control.

The High Commissioner spoke in an interview after Ms Khar’s offer to talk to her Indian counterpart got what seemed like a lukewarm response in India. New Delhi has not yet formally responded to Islamabad’s offer for talks, made by Ms Khar in a statement on Wednesday night, only a day after she had accused India of “warmongering”.

On Thursday, Mr Khurshid had said that that the government would not take any decision in haste. “These are things which you should analyse, reflect on and take a decision. When we take a decision, we will let you know.

Let’s just take things a step at a time. We have been through difficult moments. The government will take everything into account. The PM has given a clear indication that we will move step by step. Let’s see what is necessary to do and say, there’s no hurry,” he told reporters.

The foreign minister had also briefed the cabinet on Pakistan’s offer, reportedly saying that sustained pressure from India had made the neighbour shift its stance from trying to internationalise the issue to seeking bilateral dialogue.

Islamabad had earlier suggested a United Nations investigation into the killing of two Indian soldiers and mutilation of their bodies along the Line of Control last week. India had rejected that suggestion.

He also reportedly pointed out that Pakistan had only spoken through the media so far and India would decide on any dialogue only after a formal offer from Pakistan’s diplomatic channels.

Local reports said that while India favours engagement, it was unlikely to agree to holding talks at the level of ministers any time soon. The reports pointed out that Prime Minister Singh had made it clear to Pakistan that it “cannot be business as usual” till those who mutilated the bodies of Indian soldiers killed in Pakistani firing, beheading one of them, are brought to book.

http://dawn.com/2013/01/19/gandhi-for-civilised-dialogue-khurshid-says-process-not-to-be-derailed/

Dawn – Foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar calls for talks with India on Kashmir clashes

New York, 17 January 2013. Pakistan’s foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Wednesday called for talks with her Indian counterpart to ease tensions over deadly clashes in the disputed Kashmir region.

The minister said in New York that 10 days of fighting over the unofficial border had “created questions” about relations but added that Pakistan was “open” to dialogue between foreign ministers to end the dispute.

Khar spoke as India’s military said it had reached an “understanding” with Pakistan to “de-escalate” tensions in Kashmir, which has been the cause of two of the three wars between the neighbors since 1947.

Pakistan says three of its troops have died in three incidents since January 6. India says two of its soldiers have been killed, one of them beheaded, in hostilities along the Line of Control (LOC) frontier in the Himalayan region.

Khar, who on Tuesday accused India of “warmongering,” was again critical of “very hostile, negative statements” made by Indian leaders in recent days. She added that there had been a “glaring difference” in the reactions of the two governments.

“Unfortunately this LOC incident has obviously created questions, but we still believe that dialogue must be the means to resolve this or any issue,” Khar said at the Council on Foreign Relations think-tank.

“We will be open to a discussion, a dialogue, at the level of the foreign ministers to be able to resolve the issue of cross-LOC incidents and to re-commit ourselves to the respect for the ceasefire.” Khar added that “Pakistan is fully committed” to a Kashmir ceasefire agreed to in 2003.

The minister told the meeting that the Pakistan government had faced a “backlash” at home to its attempts to improve relations over the past four years.

She added that there are groups on both sides who do not want a peace process. “They will always encourage you to go hard on the rhetoric and ratchet up the tension. Some people find it in their interests. We don’t, so we must not fall prey to that,” Khar said.

“I hope that this will pass,” the minister said, adding that she was still “relatively positive” about prospects for relations between the two countries.

http://dawn.com/2013/01/17/khar-calls-for-talks-with-india-on-kashmir-clashes/

The Tribune – Pakistan suspends trans-Line-of-Control trade; Doesn’t open gates for Indian trucks; India says won’t act in haste

Tribune News Service

New Delhi/ Jammu, January 10. India believes that any hasty step on its part in the wake of the killing of two Indian soldiers by Pakistani troops would not only hurt the nascent dialogue process but also weaken the civilian regime in Islamabad. The Pakistan Government, on the other hand, continued its aggressive stance and suspended the trans-LoC trade from the Poonch-Rawalkote route and also refused to respond to hotline messages from the Indian side.

New Delhi obviously does not want to do anything that would embolden the Pakistan Army, which has traditionally considered India as Enemy No 1.

Top government sources today said this was not the first time such an incident had taken place along the Line of Control (LoC) between the two countries. Border skirmishes have taken place from time to time. What, however, has outraged Delhi is the brutality of the incident in which one of the two soldiers was beheaded.

But India is prepared to give time to Pakistan to act against those responsible for the incident. “Instead of shouting, we should give them (Pakistan) time to take action,” sources said.

The Pakistani Army on Thursday refused to allow trucks from India carrying goods to cross the Line of Control trade point in Poonch district. Trucks laden with Indian goods remained stranded near the Chakkan-da-Bagh crossing point with Indian traders complaining that they would suffer huge losses as a result of the Pakistani action.

“Since cross-LoC trade is not international trade, there are certain issues which are to be sorted by mutual agreements between the two sides. The barbaric killing seems to have put Pakistan on the back foot and this could be the sole reason for Pakistan to suspend the trade with India,” sources said.

“They (Pakistan) didn’t respond to our hotline messages and kept their gates closed for goods-laden trucks from this side of the LoC when our truckers headed towards crossing point after completing all formalities,” Abdul Hamid Sheikh, Custodian of the trans-LoC trade and travel told The Tribune.

In New Delhi, National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon rejected Pakistan’s suggestion that the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) be asked to probe the recent ceasefire violations on the LoC.

Indian statements contradictory: Pakistan

Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Thursday said she hoped that the recent incidents on the Line of Control (LoC) would not affect the dialogue that has been underway between India and Pakistan. Khar claimed there were contradictions in statements of Indian officials with regard to these incidents. She said the Pakistani media had played a positive role in the matter and showed restraint.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130111/main1.htm

Dawn – Pakistan strongly supports human rights’ application: FM Khar

Islamabad, 30 October 2012. Foreign Minister, Hina Rabbani Khar on Tuesday said Pakistan strongly supports the promotion and application of universally recognized human rights.

In her opening statement at the 14th Session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Foreign Minister said Pakistan’s resolve and commitment to combat terrorism remained unwavering.

However she termed the drone attacks as counter-productive, unlawful, against international law, and violation of sovereignty.

The Foreign Minister said Pakistan as the Chair of the OIC Group on Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva has played a constructive role in building convergences between West and Islamic world on the most contentious and challenging issues in the Human Rights Council.

She said Pakistan welcomes this engagement with the international community through an open and constructive dialogue on its human rights record in line with the provisions identified in the Institution Building Package.

She thanked the “Troika” comprising Chile, China and Congo, for facilitating Pakistan’s review.

The Foreign Minister said following restoration of democracy in 2008, Pakistan had taken a number of steps to restore the democratic nature of state institutions.

Today Pakistan is a functional democracy with an elected and sovereign parliament, an independent judiciary, a free media and a vibrant and robust civil society, she added.

She said the reporting period (2008 to 2012) had been one of the most challenging in recent years for Pakistan. Pakistan continued to face enormous challenges on different fronts, ranging from security and terrorism to the economy, apart from natural calamities.

“Despite these serious challenges, we remain steadfast in our commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights,” she said.

The Foreign Minister said during the last four years, there had been transformational changes in the legislative framework.

She mentioned passing of three constitutional amendments requiring two-third majority as part of a overarching compact between the country’s major political parties to engender long-term democratic values in the country, after the trauma of repeated military interventions.

She said in April 2010, Parliament unanimously passed the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, addressing the many imbalances of power that had entered the legislative framework at the behest of military governments.

She said among the key features of the 18th Amendment is its strengthening of human rights guaranteed under the Constitution. The Right to Education (Article 25A), Right to Information (Article 19A) and Right to Fair Trial (Article 10A) are now recognized as fundamental rights, which cannot be suspended, she added.

The Foreign Minister said consistent with its longstanding commitment to promote and protect human rights, Pakistan ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and Convention against Torture (CAT) in June 2010.

She said in August 2011, Pakistan ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Option Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography.

Foreign Minister Khar said Pakistan has now ratified seven out of nine core international human rights treaties. Joining these international human rights instruments demonstrates Pakistan’s commitment to international human rights standards.

http://dawn.com/2012/10/30/pakistan-strongly-supports-human-rights-application-fm-khar/

The Tribune – Will miss meetings with Khar: S M Krishna

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 27. Having resigned as the External Affairs Minister ahead of the Cabinet reshuffle, S M Krishna may have no regrets but he will perhaps miss his regular meetings with Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar which did help in reducing tension and keeping on the track the process of normalisation between the two South Asian neighbours.

At an informal interaction with the media at his residence this morning, the 80-year-old veteran politician acknowledged that he had established a ‘good understanding’ with glamorous Khar, who is some 45 years younger to him.

Krishna noted that he had undertaken two trips to Pakistan (in July 2010 and September 2012) while Khar visited India in July 2011. The meetings between the two leaders helped improve the relationship between India and Pakistan, he added. The two had also held talks on a few occasions on the margins of international meets in different countries.

According to Krishna, the other foreign ministers with whom he was able to build a close rapport during his stewardship of the External Affairs Ministry in the past three-and-a-half years were Yang Jiechi (China), Antonio de Aguiar Patriota (Brazil) and Maiti Nkoana-Mashabane (South Africa) and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “I had a good equation with Hillary Clinton…anyway she is also laying down office,’’ he remarked with a broad smile.

Having held almost all coveted positions a politician actually dreams of, Krishna appears set to return to his home state of Karnataka to gear up the Congress party machinery for the Assembly elections in the state next year. His aides dismissed reports in the media that he might take over as the chief of the 14th Finance Commission.

Claiming that he was leaving his office with a great sense of contentment, he said it was ‘time up’ for him to make way for younger blood. “…The flavour of the season is that youngsters must take over the reins of responsibility and I felt that it was time up for me to make way for younger blood to take over. I am glad that this initiative has been by and large appreciated,” he said.

On whether he quit on his own or was asked to resign, Krishna said, “The decision came from within. And my wife had a major role to play in the decision making.”

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121028/main3.htm

Dawn – No decision on Manmohan Singh’s visit; Pakistan, India shy away from core issues

Baqir Sajjad Syed

Islamabad, 9 September 2012. Notwithstanding the bonhomie exhibited at the Foreign Office on Saturday at the conclusion of the foreign ministers’ meetings, it was more than apparent that both sides were dissatisfied for their set of core issues not having been addressed adequately over the past two years.

Landing a deal over visas, signing the MoU on cultural cooperation or adoption of new confidence-building measures on cross-LoC trade and travel may all be the steps in the right direction, but absence of big-ticket catalysts like prosecution of Mumbai attacks suspects by Pakistan, resolution of some of the doables like Siachen, Sir Creek and water disputes may cause the process to lose momentum.

Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, speaking at a joint press conference with her Indian counterpart S. M. Krishna at the Foreign Office, called for forging ahead without being held hostage to the past.

“We are willing to forge ahead with a different future which is people-centric, which is development-centric, which is centric to the common citizens of India and Pakistan, which is committed to creating stakeholders in the economic interests and the future of the two countries,” Ms Khar said, noting bygones are bygones and that “we will not be held hostage to history”.

But hardly an hour later, Mr Krishna told Indian journalists accompanying him that “what happened in the immediate past (2008 Mumbai attacks), we cannot forget it, we cannot gloss over it”.

He, at the joint press conference, all but said that Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s visit to Pakistan on the invitation of President Zardari was unlikely. “Right atmosphere has to be created for the trip” and that there should be a concrete outcome, he said without mincing words.

But he denied that India was setting pre-conditions for the visit that many analysts see as very important for giving the much needed impetus to the nascent peace process.

Afterwards, an Indian journalist quoted Mr Krishna as having told Indian newsmen that Pakistani invitation was just an invitation. “We are at that point.”

Mr Krishna, on his return to Delhi, is due to give his assessment of the status of Pakistan-India ties to Prime Minister Singh on the basis of which he would decide whether or not to undertake the Pakistan trip.

The joint statement while expressing the desire of the two foreign ministers to continue with the dialogue obliquely makes a reference to the unresolved issues.

And so did Foreign Minister Khar. In her rather longish opening remarks at the press conference, she reminded the Indians about making simultaneous progress in all eight segments that the two countries are discussing in the peace dialogue resumed last year.

“The two sides exchanged views on Siachen, Sir Creek and Wullar Barrage/Tulbul Navigation Project, agreed that there is the need to effectively address these issues by finding mutually acceptable solutions and reiterated their commitment to do so.

They also reaffirmed the importance of abiding by the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty,” the joint statement said.

Separately, the statement said: “The ministers noted the commitment given by Pakistan during the Interior/ Home Secretary talks in May 2012 to bring all the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks to justice expeditiously in accordance with due process of law.”

Despite President Zardari’s call for moving beyond the reiteration of stated positions, it was obvious that the two sides remained stuck to them even though there may have been slight change in the nuances.

A senior Pakistani diplomat, in a background interview with Dawn, too underscored the need for India to address the substantive issues of Siachen, Sir Creek and Kashmir and water disputes.

The Pakistani side is said to have given a paper to India on water issues asking it to abide by the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty.

A source disclosed that the Pakistani side forcefully raised the issue of Indian involvement in Balochistan unrest and demanded sharing of information in the Samjhauta Express bombing probe.

Another source dismissed India’s demand for expeditious prosecution of Mumbai attacks suspects as a ritual. “Their non-seriousness was evident from the fact that they did not even raise the issue of Mumbai plotter Abu-Jindal, whose arrest was celebrated a lot and used to malign Pakistani institutions,” he stressed and added that the Pakistani side raised the matter.

Indians, it is said, were asked to refrain from talking on terrorism with Pakistan through the media.

“It is a serious issue that needs to be dealt with through quite and candid diplomacy,” the source quoted a Pakistani negotiator as having conveyed.

Kashmir CBMS: The two sides importantly agreed on a number of additional confidence-building measures related to Kashmir, which included expanding cross-LoC travel to include tourism and religious pilgrimage; respecting the list of 21 products of permissible items for cross-LoC trade; exchanging business delegations; and a number of other facilitation measures.

The joint working group on cross-LoC CBMs will meet on a bi-annual basis to review existing arrangements and suggest additional CBMs and measures for cross-LoC travel and trade, the joint statement said.

Moreover, separate meetings of the Expert Groups on Nuclear and Conventional CBMs have been convened in the second half of December 2012 in New Delhi.

http://dawn.com/2012/09/09/no-decision-on-manmohan-singhs-visit-pak-india-shy-away-from-core-issues/

The Hindu – I’m sure Pakistan won’t fail to take note of verdict: Krishna

After Indian official sources pointed to the slow pace of prosecuting 26/11 masterminds

Special Correspondent

Tehran, 30 August 2012. On a day the Supreme Court confirmed the death sentence on Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving gunman in the Mumbai attacks, Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan, here to attend the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit, expressed their views on the issue of prosecuting the masterminds of the 2008 massacre.

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, when asked for his reaction, said: “I am sure Pakistan will not fail to take note of this” and added that he was sure the judiciary in Pakistan was similarly active. Mr. Krishna’s observations follow Indian official sources saying on Tuesday that the slow pace of prosecuting the Pakistani masterminds of the Mumbai attacks showed there was a “serious difference in how the Indian state reacts and how the Pakistani state fails to react.”

Hina Khar optimistic

Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar prefaced her comments by expressing optimism about possible talks on Thursday between Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the NAM Summit here.

“We are moving out of the trust deficit zone, and that is a pre-requisite for us to be able to really sit on the negotiating table and solve most important issues,” she told newspersons.

On Pakistan acting against the masterminds of the Mumbai attacks, Ms. Khar said: “Recently, the Pakistani High Commissioner in India had clearly articulated what the requirements are to move forward in that.

“Both India and Pakistan need to tackle their disputes and other issues in a more mature manner, so that they don’t continue to haunt the two countries and their governments,” she added.

“We’ve to move beyond”

But perhaps basing her comments entirely on reports by a section of the Indian media which put the entire blame for SMS and web images at Pakistan’s door for creating panic among people of the northeast working elsewhere in India, she said: “I think simply that we need to really find a more mature way to be able to handle all of these issues because they will continue to haunt us.”

“So, I am, in my position, very disappointed every time something reaches Pakistan through the media, because we believe that we have been able to invest in this relationship enough to expect a call from any counterpart if any such concern, suspicion arises. Because we have to move beyond this. You know, really, giving more fuel to a hostility type of narrative in each other’s media, I think, your media, really needs to become more positive,” she added.

But the official Indian reaction has been otherwise. Official sources have said the issue would not be raised in Thursday’s meeting as it was not a state-to-state issue. The answer lay in keeping a tab on web trends as the images had started circulating a week before panic set in leading to people from the northeast working and studying in some parts of the country, rushing back to their home States.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3836930.ece

The Tribune – Government nod to FDI from Pakistan; Finance Ministry okays proposal; Move to alter economic ties between the two countries

Ashok Tuteja, Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 1. India today announced its decision to allow FDI from Pakistan in a move that is expected to radically change the dynamics of economic ties between the two countries.

It has been decided to permit a citizen of Pakistan or an entity incorporated in Pakistan to make investments in India under the government route in sectors/activities other than defence, space and atomic energy, an official statement by New Delhi said.

In order to address the security concerns, FDI proposals from Pakistan are likely to be routed through the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB). The government had earlier allowed investments from Bangladesh under the FIPB route.

The Commerce Ministry had sometime back sent a proposal in this regard to the Finance Ministry which has okayed it after carefully examining the issue.

The business community of Pakistan had been pleading with India for quite some time to amend the rules and allow it to invest in India. However, the proposal had been drawing stiff opposition from hardliners in India, especially because of security issues.

Pakistan does not have any restriction on allowing Indian investments. However, there have been no investments from India in Pakistan.

The first indication about India permitting Pakistani investments was given by Commerce Minister Anand Sharma during his visit to Pakistan in February.

New Delhi’s move on FDI from Pakistan is seen as a major confidence building measure (CBM) between the two countries ahead of External Affairs Minister S M Krishna’s visit to Islamabad in September for talks with his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar to review the progress in the dialogue process.

Pakistan, on its part, has also started taking measure to liberalise trade with India. It has drastically cut down the ‘negative list’ of items for trade with India, paving the way for granting the most favoured nation (MFN) status to India by the end of the year.

Ever since the two countries resumed the dialogue process in February last year, they have been taking steps to promote business and economic links. India had opened an additional check post at the Attari-Wagah border in April to permit the flow of more trucks carrying goods from Pakistan. A number of more cross LoC-CBMs in the field of trade are also on anvil between the two countries.

In fact, a liberalised visa agreement between India and Pakistan, which will facilitate easy travel for businessmen of the two countries, is lying ready for signature. Indications are that it would be inked when Krishna visits Pakistan.

Notwithstanding the dividends of trade for the two countries, India wants Pakistan to act against the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack. New Delhi is of the view that relations between the two countries can never become normal until Pakistan was seen to be taking steps to check the activities of anti-India elements operating from its soil.

Meanwhile, the business community in India welcomed the decision to allow FDI from Pakistan. Vikramjit Singh Sahney, president SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), described it as one of the strongest CBMs to improve bilateral relations. FIEO chief adviser Jagmohan Bhanot said India’s move would promote trade and economic ties with Pakistan.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120802/main1.htm

Dawn – Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar urges unity in terror fight

Kabul, 15 June 2012. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Thursday accused governments of doing a “terrible job” at working together to tackle militancy in Afghanistan as she called for a more unified approach.

Khar made the remarks on the sidelines of a ministerial conference in Kabul aimed at building greater regional cooperation on Afghanistan and its future beyond the pullout of Nato forces in 2014.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai says peace depends on regional cooperation to smash sanctuaries for militant networks waging violence in his country, and in his opening remarks to the conference urged Pakistan to support the peace process.

Pakistan was the Taliban’s chief diplomatic backer when the regime was in power in Afghanistan, and is accused by both Kabul and Washington of continuing to play a double game in supporting the insurgency despite its official US alliance.

Khar reiterated Pakistan’s stance that it has suffered enormously as a result of terrorism, and said a more united front was needed among international allies.

“We have been making the claim that we need to all work together to ensure that we win against them rather than they win against us,” she told reporters.

“At this point in time, if there is a policy of divide and rule they are doing a great job at it and we are doing a terrible job at combining our energy, our forces, and our resources to be able to face them as one.”

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta warned Pakistan last week that the US was running out of patience over Islamabad’s refusal to do more to eliminate hiding places for insurgents, who attack US troops fighting the 10-year war against the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Khar responded on Thursday by saying she was “glad we are not losing patience with anyone, despite losing 24 soldiers”.

She was referring to Nato air strikes on a Pakistani border post in November which killed 24 troops and led to Islamabad closing the ground routes through its territory used to supply coalition forces in Afghanistan.

http://dawn.com/2012/06/15/fm-khar-urges-unity-in-terror-fight/