Foreign Office Spokesman Muhammad Sadiq has said that Pak-US relations are not confined to war on terror as they cover many areas in mutual interests of both countries.
In a PTV programme late on Monday night he said that bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and the United States in anti-terrorism campaign holds domestic, regional and international significance for both countries.
"This cooperation is very important for their domestic security as well as for the security of the region and the world," he added. However, he said, there were many other areas of cooperation between the two countries, and added that both countries are engaged in a process of comprehensive strategic dialogue. The relations also cover areas of education, technical and military cooperation.
He said that in war on terror Pakistan and US cooperate in four areas, which include provision of equipment by US, intelligence sharing, technical cooperation and training.
The spokesman categorically refuted the impression that US troops and intelligence agencies were operating inside Pakistan's tribal areas. He said that media function freely both in Pakistan and United States and such unfounded news stories are published in both countries.
In reply to a question he said that The New York Times in its report regarding a meeting of US administration to discuss Pakistan had quoted anonymous sources which put the validity of the report in question.
He said that all decisions with respect to Pakistan would be made within the country and its own agencies would undertake all operations in its territory. He said that Pakistan's strategic assets "are under strong command and control system and there is no chance at all for their going into wrong hands".
The isolated law and order incidents cannot put these assets in danger, he added. He said never the US, or any other country, has expressed reservation over the security of these assets. Rather the US government has publicly said that they are in safe hands, he added. He said that no government, including US, had extended any proposal for conducting military operations inside Pakistan, and it was hoped that they would not do so in future.
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