Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday said Pakistan and Afghanistan have evolved a two-pronged mechanism for bringing peace and stability in both the countries.
"First stage will comprise of presidents and prime ministers of both the countries, Chief of Army Staff, Director General (DG) ISI and the Foreign Office while at the second stage, secretary of foreign office and officials of army and intelligence representatives will be the members of this strategy for stability that was needed," the Prime Minister said while addressing the National Assembly after his return from visit to Afghanistan.
He said Pakistan wants peace and stability in the regain, adding that peaceful and stable Afghanistan is in the interest of Pakistan. Gilani said being neighbours both Pakistan and Afghanistan enjoy bilateral relations and have trilateral relations with Turkey and the United States. Pakistan and Afghanistan have signed a new Pak-Afghan Transit Trade Agreement and wanted to expand its exports to Central Asian States, he said and added that Pakistan wanted to cooperate with Afghanistan in infrastructure and other sectors.
Gilani said his visit also aimed at co-operation with US and Afghanistan on defence, intelligence and political level. In this regard, we should not be sceptical of intelligence agencies, he added. About drone attacks, the prime minister said Pakistan has already told the US to give it drone technology. "I have conveyed this thing to a delegation of the US Congress in a meeting today (Monday). I urged the delegation to draw a joint strategy under which the drone technology be transferred to Pakistan," he said.
Gilani said Pakistan also wants that there should be exchange of visits of parliamentary delegations of both the countries. There is also need for people-to-people contacts, he added. He said we have to respect the efforts on political and military levels. We also proved at internal level that there are good relations of Pakistan and the US at government and inelegance level, he said.
The prime minister also assured the House that the government would not compromise on defence, sovereignty, stability and self-respect of the country. "The political leadership, Chief of the Army Staff and Director General Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) visit to Afghanistan has proved that all are on the same page on sovereignty and defence of Pakistan," he said. Pakistan is a part of the Afghan solution and not the problem. That is why Pakistan wants an Afghan led and Afghan owned process of the issue and it would fully support it, he added.