No al-Qaeda 'safe havens' in Pak: Kasuri

ISLAMABAD: Rejecting US officials' assertions that al-Qaeda "safe havens" existed in its tribal belt, Pakistan on Thursday insisted it will not allow anyone to launch direct strikes against militants on its soil and sought withdrawal of an American law linking aid to its performance on the war on terror.

Winding up a three-day debate on the country's foreign policy in the National Assembly here, Foreign Minister Khurshid M Kasuri claimed that no al-Qaeda safe havens existed in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan as alleged by US officials.

"There is no safe heaven for the terrorists in our soil," he said, adding Pakistan will never allow any country to attack in its territory and no one will be permitted to have unilateral action inside the country.

Pakistan Army is fully capable of tackling the problem of terrorism and will take action whenever necessary, Kasuri said.

He said Pakistan is working to bring peace and stability in the region but it cannot allow "any country to impose its will or interfere in our internal affairs as it is determined to safeguard its sovereignty at all costs."

Referring to a new US legislation linking aid to performance on the war on terror, Kasuri said Pakistan could not accept it and that it would counter-productive to the close bilateral ties. He wanted withdrawal of the legislation, which he said has divided public opinion in Pakistan.

Kasuri said it has been made clear to the US that it is a discriminatory law and can harm the bilateral ties.

The debate was being held in the aftermath of tough statements from US politicians and officials threatening direct strikes on Pakistan's tribal areas.

Kasuri said terrorism was not only the issue with the US but also China, "who is our closest friend".

He said Pakistan is fighting war on terror in it its own national interest and cooperating with international community to eradicate the menace, but it would never allow any country to interfere in its internal affairs.

At the same time Kasuri defended Pakistan's close ties with Washington.

Elaborating on benefits acquired by Pakistan due to close ties with the US, he said the multiple sanctions on Islamabad were lifted in 2001. In 2003, a USD three billion dollar multi-year security and economic assistance package was announced at the Camp David.

Kasuri said Pakistan was also declared a Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA). A year later, the Bush Administration "agreed to our long-standing request for the sale of F-16s to meet our legitimate defence needs, he said and also recalled the US help during the earthquake.

"It is the success of our foreign policy that Pakistan today enjoys strategic relations with the USA and China at the same time besides the Islamic world," he said.

Pakistan cannot afford isolation in this globalised world, Kasuri said and emphasised that "we should never take any step that could appease our enemies and harm our national interests."

He also called upon the US Congress and other Parliaments of the world to bring legislations to safeguard the religious sentiments of all communities.

Kasuri said Pakistan has adopted a balanced approach in its foreign policy that has been framed with an objective of economic stability and strong defence.

"Our foreign policy does not rotate around America but we have strategic interests to promote relations with other countries including China, Russia, Japan, Germany and Asian countries besides the European Union as we want to gain more benefits from the international community for our country."

He said Pakistan has an independent foreign policy that is aimed to protect its national interests.

"We never compromised on our principled stand on various issues, including Iraq and Iranian nuclear issue."

Kasuri said the US and the European Union have an important place in the country's foreign policy as 80 per cent of its trade depends on relations with them.

He said Pakistan's relations with the US have always remained a central point of its policy due to various reasons.

"We cannot resolve the issues only through sentimental statements but we will have to adopt a wise approach towards settling the issues and come out from this difficult situation and maintain our relations with the international community, including the United States," he said.

Referring to the Afghan issue, he said peace cannot be restored in that country through military means only but at the same time steps will have to be taken for reconstruction and rapid economic revival besides initiating dialogue.

Speaking about ties with Beijing, Kasuri said: "We have been successful to further our relations with China and working continuously to flourish these relations particularly in the field of economy."

On SAARC, he said Pakistan has made valuable efforts to make the regional grouping a vibrant body and implement SAFTA to promote trade in the South Asian region.