Aziz said that engagement between the two countries on non-proliferation and strategic stability will continue and Pakistan hopes to see greater United States understanding of Pakistan’s security concerns and its desire to contribute actively as a mainstream nuclear power.
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He urged the United States to grant more access to Pakistani products to USA markets.
“US has been working “really hard” to advance a “rapprochement” between Islamabad and New Delhi”, said US Secretary of State John Kerry, reported Dawn online.
The U.S. government this month approved the sale of the aircraft, radar and electronic warfare equipment to Pakistan in a deal worth almost $700 million. A Pakistani delegation, lead by Sartaj Aziz, reached the U.S. yesterday for a strategic dialogue that seeks to enhance Pakistan’s relations with Washington.
Neighboring India, a historic rival of Pakistan, opposes the sale, which has also drawn criticism from some USA lawmakers. However, he said that although there had been some efforts by the Administration to keep the Congress informed, more can be done to bring Congress fully in picture about the positive steps taken by Pakistan to further mutual interests.
The Sunni militant group Taliban, which has a history of targeting Shiites and other civilians, is still believed to have a significant presence in parts of the country’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and North Waziristan region. Kerry welcomed Pakistan’s commitment not to differentiate among terrorist groups.
Kerry said that at Monday’s talks they would also discuss Pakistan’s “obligations of being a responsible state with nuclear weapons”.
The FIR by the Counter-Terrorism Department of Punjab police has been lodged on the basis of information provided by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval that four attackers crossed from Pakistan into India and attacked the airbase.
Kerry noted that the USA and Russian Federation had succeeded in reducing their nuclear stockpiles.
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“[The talks will] afford an important opportunity to take stock of the entire gamut of Pakistan’s bilateral relations with the U.S.”, Pakistan’s foreign ministry reportedly said in a statement released last week.
