Pakistan on Sunday said it was "imperative" for the world community to support its efforts to reach out to Afghanistan and India to create an environment that will usher in stability and development in the region.Reacting to US secretary of state Hillary Clinton's recent remarks, foreign office spokesperson Tehmina Janjua said: "Pakistan has reached out to both Afghanistan and India to promote an environment conducive to stability and development. It is imperative that the international community support this endeavour."She added that it was "Pakistan's considered view that stability, peace and development in the South Asian region is not only important for Pakistan but has global ramifications".Pakistan "values its relations with the US" and is "cognizant of the need for greater strategic coherence, especially when a large number of NATO-ISAF troops and the international community…are engaged on issues germane to Afghanistan", Janjua said in a statement.The spokesperson, who was reacting to Clinton's remarks at the launch of the Asia Society's series of Richard Holbrooke memorial addresses on Friday, lauded the secretary of state's call to respect the principles of non-interference and non-intervention in Afghanistan."The sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Afghanistan must also be fully respected," she said.Janjua also said Pakistan welcomed Clinton's announcement on the appointment of Marc Grossman as the new US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.During her speech, Clinton said the tribal areas along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border "remain the epicentre of violent extremism that threatens Americans and peace-loving people everywhere".She said the "historic distrust between Pakistan and Afghanistan remains a major cause of regional instability".While calling on Pakistan to take "decisive steps to insure that the Afghan Taliban cannot continue to conduct the insurgency from Pakistani territory", Clinton said pressure from Pakistan "will help push the Taliban toward the negotiating table and away from al-Qaeda".Pakistan will have to be part of the process for reconciliation in Afghanistan to succeed, Clinton said."(Pakistan) will have to respect Afghan sovereignty and work with Afghanistan to improve regional stability," she said.

COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING