Pakistan urges U.S. to avoid hostile statement

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday urged the United States to exercise restraint in making public statement that were adverse to bilateral relationship. In a meeting with the U.S. envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Marc Grossman, Zardari also emphasized the need to develop a cooperative and joint roadmap to overcome the trust deficit, the presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said. The President said that no country has made greater contributions and sacrifices in fighting terrorism than Pakistan. The President said that Pakistan was committed to pursuing fight against militants till its logical conclusion. He said that the enemies of peace will continue to sabotage peace process but we should not let them hold the governments in the region hostage. The President said that ironically the militants and terrorists gained the most from verbal assault and finger pointing at Pakistan or questioning our commitment to fighting extremists. The President said that it only damaged the relationship between the two countries and undermined the common objective of defeating extremism and terrorism. "It was high time for the verbal assault to cease and the rhetoric to cool so that serious and meaningful dialogue between the two countries could resume in earnest," the President said. Babar told a press briefing that bilateral relations, security situation in Afghanistan and the region were discussed during the meeting. He said that the President emphasized that a long-term, sustainable and multidimensional relationship with the United States should be based on shared interest and mutual trust and respect. Grossman appreciated Pakistan's struggle against militancy and assured continued U.S. support for peace and stability in the region, the spokesman said. Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar also met with Grossman and both sides pledged to continue the strategic dialogue. Briefing the media following the meeting Khar said Pakistan was an important country in the region and was standing against terrorism. Khar added that Pakistan and the U.S. would beef up their partnership which was important for the region. Grossman said Pakistan was important to both the U.S. and the region. "We also talked about how can we continue in a systematic way to identify the interests that we share with Pakistan, and there are many, and then find ways to act on them jointly," he added. A war of words broke out between Islamabad and Washington late last month after top U.S. defense officials accused Pakistani spy agency ISI of supporting Afghan militant group Haqqani network blamed by the U.S. for the attack on the U.S. embassy in Kabul. Pakistan rejected the charge and warned the U.S. would lose Pakistan as a partner in the war on terror if Washington continued to ignore Pakistan's dignity and sovereignty.