By NNN-APP,
Washington : Pakistan has called for a joint U.S.-Pakistani investigation into this week’s air strike on Mohmand tribal area along its Afghan border as the country’s ambassador in Washington urged United States to forge a long-term strategic partnership that both countries need.
Ambassador Husain Haqqani also renewed Pakistan’s resolve to curb extremism and terrorism through a strategic plan, having political, military, intelligence, socio-economic, and ideological dimensions.
“It was an unfortunate incident. Pakistan and United States both need to investigate it. Pakistan is most perturbed by the fact that the US firepower was brought in and resulted in death of 11 Pakistani troops, who are partners of the US in the war against terrorism and we wish that incidents of this nature did not happen,” he told the Atlantic Council.
Pakistan, he stated, wants such incident never to be repeated.
At the same time, he felt that such incidents could not be allowed to come in the way of strategic partnership both countries need. “I don’t think we can allow such incidents to come in the way of strategic partnership that the United States and Pakistan both need.
“Pakistan and the United States will remain partners in the war on terror but this partnership has to be a long term for Pakistan to feel comfortable about changing longstanding policies of different branches of its government and that will only come about when everybody in Pakistan is assured that the United States will be there as a friend not just today but also tomorrow and the day after.” Responding to a question, he said, the United States and Pakistan are not at war but they are friends and allies and that the American officials feel for loss of life in the incident.
“Pakistan would like an arrangement, whereby the firepower of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the coalition forces is used primarily at terrorists— and certainly the loss of life is very tragic, the U.S. government feels for that loss of life and I think that a joint investigation is going to be ordered and I am sure we will get a better picture of what happened.”
In the context of U.S. having long-term development partnership with Pakistan, Haqqani cited the idea mooted by Senators Joseph Biden and Richard Lugar on enhancing U.S. assistance over longer term for socio-economic development, particularly in education healthcare and democracy. He said Pakistan would carve out a stable future if it can go forward with its human resource development.
“If we can strike a balance between security and human development and if the U.S. is partner in doing that, then not only we will succeed in the war on terror and be effective in tribal areas but also make Pakistan a stable country, a stable friend of the U.S., a major non-NATO ally.”
Haqqani also asked U.S. Congress to look upon the Reconstruction Opportunity Zones legislation as a security initiative and not just another trade program. The envoy also hinted at offering share holding to tribesmen in industrial enterprise as part of efforts to step up economic development and jobs to the local populace.
Drawing attention to the importance of intelligence cooperation in fighting terror, he stressed Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the US must share intelligence in a real-time manner.
Pakistan and Afghanistan need to be anti-terror partners instead of blaming each other. Pakistanis have a consensus that a stable and prosperous Afghanistan is in its interest.
“There has been a flurry of exchange of visits by officials between Islamabad and Kabul,” he informed the gathering while referring to the country’s efforts to improve bilateral ties.
“If Pakistan and Afghanistan can work together and look upon each other as partners then managing Pakistan-Afghanistan border will be easier.”
On the tactical level, he said, it might need increase in NATO troops, it will also need more deployment on Afghanistan side. “You cannot ask one party to patrol and seal off the border and not take some responsibility for what happens on other side of the border. That can be done if Pakistan and Afghanistan work together.”