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Pakistan admits ties with US remained tense in 2011

By IANS,

Islamabad : Pakistan admitted Thursday that its relations with the US remained tense in 2011 due to some incidents, including the US military’s unilateral raid to kill Osama bin Laden and the NATO attack on border posts that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit, while giving a review of foreign relations during 2011, said the killing of two Pakistani nationals by American official Raymond Davis in Lahore in February also badly affected bilateral relations, Xinhua reported.

Pakistani and US media described Davis as undercover CIA agent who was later freed after he agreed to pay compensation to the families of the slain Pakistanis.

Refuting the impression that Islamabad and Washington were not on talking terms, Basit said: “We are on speaking terms with the US and trying to put our relations back on track.”

The spokesman said the Parliamentary Committee on National Security was reviewing the relationship and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said its recommendations would be presented to a joint session of parliament for final approval.

He said Pakistan wants good relations based on mutual respect and dignity, and there would be no compromise on national integrity and sovereignty.