US should not view ties with Pak through ‘Indian lens’
islamabad — The United States should not view its ties with Pakistan from the the Indian lens or Afghan perspective, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said.
The relations between Pakistan and the US nosedived this January after President Donald Trump accused Islamabad of giving nothing to Washington but “lies and deceit” and providing “safe haven” to terrorists. Qureshi said Pakistan’s ties with the United States could not be undermined easily, The News reported.
“The relations with United States are improving gradually. I have made it clear to the United States authorities that Pakistan wants bilateral relations with Washington based on mutual respect and reciprocity,” he said.
The foreign minister also said it would be wrong to expect that all differences between the United States and Pakistan could be resolved in one day, the report said. Qureshi said regional situations evolve and requirements change, but Pakistan’s contribution for peace and stability in the region should be acknowledged.
“It will not be appropriate to view our (United States-Pakistan) relations going as far back as seven decades from the Afghan perspective or the Indian lens,” the foreign minister told reporters in Multan after returning from his 10-day visit to the United States. The foreign minister said he had tried to make his American counterparts realise this.
Qureshi who had met United States Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton in Washington, said the Foreign Office will continue its efforts to represent Pakistan effectively on international fora. —