Minister of State for Interior Dr Shehzad Waseem on Monday said Pakistan was fighting the war on terror in line with its own national and strategic interests and not under any external pressure.
Talking to APP, he said, Foreign Minister Khurshid M Kasuri in BBC's 'Hard Talk' programme aired recently very effectively explained reasons for Pakistan to join the anti-terror war efforts.
He said as underlined by President General Pervez Musharraf, a handful of extremist elements were tarnishing Pakistan's image abroad and it was the government's endeavour to reject these elements and portray Pakistan's true image as a moderate and progressive Islamic country.
He praised the foreign minister for highlighting Pakistan's role in the war on terror as a frontline state and dispelling the impression that the country was acting against the menace under any outside pressure.
The Minister said as cited by Foreign Minister Kasuri during the programme, despite repeated requests by the United States, Pakistan refused to send its troops to Iraq.
Dr Waseem also lauded Kasuri for effectively projecting Pakistan's standpoint on major global and regional issues.
On the regional front, Dr Waseem said that Foreign Minister Kasuri underlined Pakistan's strong desire for peace in South Asia and its sincerity to carry forward the peace process with India to resolve all outstanding issues, including the key Kashmir dispute.
Moreover, he said, the Minister also very forcefully countered misperceptions about the presence of any terrorist camps in Pakistan.
The Minister, he added, underscored the fact that the freedom struggle waged in the Indian Occupied Kashmir was very indigenous and Pakistan was only providing moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri brethren for their just cause.
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