(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Talking to the delegation led by Senator John McCain late Thursday night, the Prime Minister said that Pakistan cannot be blamed for providing the safe heaven to terrorists when they are believed to cross over into Afghanistan in the presence of Allied Forces to carry out their nefarious activities and return safely to their so called sanctuaries.
“He reminded the US Senators that the world had forgotten the presence of 3.5 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan and the fact that more than 50,000 people cross Pakistan-Afghan border every day,” a statement from the PM office said.
He also said that Pakistan’s repeated requests for the introduction of a Biometric System and establishment of check posts on the border, have failed to elicit a positive response from the Allied Forces and the Afghan Government.
“Resultantly, the movement of undesirable elements in the guise of ordinary people and Afghan refugees across the border continues unabated”.
Gilani hoped that Pakistan’s proposal in this regard and for shifting of Afghan refugees back to their homeland would be given serious consideration by the US and the world at large which he said can drastically reduce the incidence of terror on both sides of the border.
The Prime Minister stated that instead of indulging in blame games, the allied countries, particularly the US should deliver on its long standing commitment to build the capacity of Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies; provide the requisite equipment and technology to Pakistan’s armed forces and share actionable and real time intelligence with Pakistan to enable it to defeat the common enemy.
The Prime Minister termed illiteracy, poverty and under-development as the root causes of extremism and terrorism and urged the US administration and Congress to help Pakistan address these fundamental issues for rooting out these menaces.
Pakistan, he said, supports the Afghan led efforts for reconciliation and reintegrate in that country and is ready to cooperate with the Afghan Government for the capacity building of its Army, Police and administrative system as well as building of the Afghan institutions.
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