The people of Pakistan wanted to have a relationship with the United States on the basis of respect and dignity and there was a solid foundation for two countries to build on for durable ties, said while the former Pakistani minister Javed Jabbar was speaking at Carnegie Endowment Fund for International Peace.
Speaking to a gathering of experts at a Washington think tank, Jabbar also said Pakistan believed a stable Afghanistan in its fundamental interest. He remarked that Pakistan-US relationship currently faced two challenges - how to manage the bilateral ties on the basis of mutual respect and how to narrow the gap between perceptions and realities on some issues.
The way forward in bilateral ties must first and foremost include an end to what he called verbal warfare against Pakistan and public statements of recrimination that infuriated Pakistanis. The people and armed forces of Pakistan have already sacrificed far enough in the war against terrorism than any others and they should be trusted and respected, said Jabbar.