Pakistan's ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani has said that the international community must help Pakistan morally, politically and economically to successfully eradicate terrorism, which is a global threat. He was addressing three different groups of students and faculty members at the prestigious Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
Pakistan, the envoy said, stood at the threshold of a "transformational moment". This "transformation involves moving from authoritarianism to democracy, from militancy to economic prosperity and from narrowly defined ideologies to pluralism".
Answering questions from Pakistani students, Haqqani said there was a complete identity of views between the elected civilian leadership led by President Zardari and Prime Minister Gillani and the military under the command of Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
"All institutions in Pakistan have now realised that the strength of Pakistan lies in strengthening Pakistan's constitutional foundations. No individual and no group alone can ensure the security and integrity of Pakistan", he stated. In his address to the Yale South Asian Studies Council, the ambassador said Pakistan's elected leadership seeks close co-operation from Afghanistan in ensuring that the Pakistan-Afghanistan border becomes secure.
"This marks significant progress from the era when the two countries constantly played a blame game instead of working together in ensuring that al Qaida and the Taliban no longer pose a threat to Pakistan, Afghanistan and the rest of the world", he remarked. Haqqani said the Pakistanis continue to believe strongly in the justice of their case on Jammu and Kashmir.
"We both need each other", he said and added "we will resolve any disagreements as disagreements between friends". He said that the vast majority of Pakistanis recognises terrorism as a threat to Pakistan's existence and also realises that friendship with the United States is in Pakistan's interest. Haqqani also spoke as the Guest of Honour at a dinner hosted by the Yale World Fellows Programme. He outlined the vision for Pakistan as enunciated by Shaheed Mohtarama Benazir Bhutto and Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari.
"This vision involves investing in Pakistan's people so that our school enrolment goes up from 52 per cent of school-going age children to 100 per cent," he said. On the economic side, he said, Pakistan needs to become the hub of trade between the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia and an important port of entry into the massive markets of China and India.
"In an era of globalisation, Pakistan cannot be isolated from the forces of globalisation and large number of Pakistanis living abroad would be expected to play their roles as intermediaries between the world and our traditional culture," he observed.
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