Pakistan reiterated its earlier stance that 'when, how and what is to be done in North Waziristan' would be decided by Islamabad. This was stated when the third round of Pak-US strategic dialogue covering civil (from water issues to energy) and military assistance (inclusive of reimbursement under the Coalition Support Fund) is underway in Washington DC.
Addressing a question regarding Pakistan's line of action if America insisted on a military operation in North Waziristan during the weekly press briefing on Thursday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Abdul Basit stated Pakistan army is maintaining a presence of over 34,000 troops in North Waziristan and "if a full scale operation is required we will not hesitate."
"To say that Islamabad is oblivious about North Waziristan is not correct," he added. North Waziristan is home to 350,000 people and is considered a stronghold of the most dangerous militants fighting against more than 150,000 US and Nato troops of the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) in Afghanistan. While briefing the media on the ongoing dialogue in the US, Basit said that it has been broken down into 13 working groups. On October 20, four working groups on agriculture, communication and public diplomacy, water and defence met and considered ways and means to promote bilateral co-operation in these areas.
On October 21, the working groups on energy, health, law enforcement and counterterrorism, economy and finance, and women's empowerment will meet. The next day (final day), the two sides will have in depth discussions on the post flood situation, including the government of Pakistan's response and reconstruction and rehabilitation requirements. There will also be a session on implementation of US assistance in Pakistan.
He also told the reporters regarding President Obama's unscheduled meeting with the Pakistan delegation in the White House, wherein the US President informed the delegation that he was looking forward to visit Pakistan next year. In response to a question on Pakistan's policy regarding Iran's nuclear programme in the backdrop of Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi's statement that "Iran had no justification to pursue nuclear weapons," Abdul Basit said that there is no change in Pakistan's policy regarding Iran's nuclear programme and Pakistan will continue to favour Iran's right to civilian nuclear technology.
"There is no change in our position on this issue," said the spokesman adding, "We hope that issues surrounding Iran's nuclear programme would be resolved peacefully." The official said that Iran is Pakistan's brotherly neighbour and both countries enjoy strong bilateral ties.
To a question regarding Pak-India dialogue, Abdul Basit rejected the Indian statement that dialogue failed because of Pakistan, saying it was not Pakistan's overreach but India had attempted to overplay Jammu & Kashmir issue, which after the lapse of 63 years has yet to be resolved.
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