"Any step in which Pakistan is not involved, such talks with anyone will not be successful because Pakistan is a part of the solution and not a part of the problem," Yousuf Raza Gilani said.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani today warned that any reconciliation process in Afghanistan that does not involve Pakistan will be unsuccessful as Islamabad has a key role to play in restoring peace in the neighbouring war-torn country.
"Any step in which Pakistan is not involved, such talks with anyone will not be successful because Pakistan is a part of the solution and not a part of the problem," Gilani said during an interaction with the Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Pakistan.
Responding to a question on reports that the US and the Afghan government are trying to engineer splits among the Afghan Taliban to push forward a reconciliation process, he said Kabul had not shared its plans in this regard with Islamabad.
"As far as the Afghan government's talks with the Taliban or a paradigm shift in their policy are concerned, we discussed these issues when President (Hamid) Karzai visited Pakistan. Whatever plan they have, they will naturally share with the US, then with us and our army. They have not shared their roadmap with the US so far," he said.
Once the Afghan administration shares its reconciliation plan with the US and Pakistan, the Pakistan government will review the scheme and decide to what extent it could cooperate in the process, he said.
"Pakistan is ready to cooperate with any Afghan-led solution and process of reconciliation," he said.
Gilani said Pakistan has made it clear to Afghanistan and Western powers that it had a key role to play in the reconciliation process in the neighbouring country.
"The whole world is convinced that Pakistan is a part of the solution, not a part of the problem," he said.
Islamabad's relations with Kabul "are better than before" and there is greater intelligence and defence cooperation than earlier, he said.
"On the economic side, the cabinet has ratified the transit trade agreement with Afghanistan and beyond," he said.
Replying to a question on why Pakistan is not seeking an apology for US drone attacks in its volatile tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, Gilani said permission had been given "much earlier" for reconnaissance and surveillance flights by spy planes and "it was never given" for attacks.
He indicated that the permission was given by the previous regime of President Pervez Musharraf. He also denied reports that US drones were operating from an airbase at Jacobabad in Sindh.
Gilani reiterated his stance that drone attacks are counter-productive as they undo the work done by his government and the army to separate tribesmen from the Taliban fighters. The drone attacks unite the tribesmen and militants, he said.
The US should transfer drone technology to Pakistan or it should share credible and actionable intelligence so that the Pakistani military can take action against the militants, he said.
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