Pakistan Hopes To Get Back To Ties With US Based On Truth, Trust: PM

Pakistan hopes to get back to ties with US based on truth, trust: PM

WASHINGTON, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Jul, 2019 ) :Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said Pakistan had always close ties with the United States and expressed the hope to get back to the relationship, which was based on truth and trust as well as mutual respect.

Speaking to the US Congressmen at the Capitol Hill, where a reception was held in his honour, the prime minister said the whole idea of his coming there was to make the people in the United States have a better understanding of Pakistan.

He said unfortunately, he felt that there had been a lot of misunderstanding. Pakistan was not understood there, specifically in the last 15 year when the war on terror was being fought in Afghanistan and on the border of Pakistan.

A lot of misunderstanding between the countries and the governments existed, he added.

The prime minister told the US Congressmen and Senators that what he hoped was that by the time he would leave he would have the people there understood his point of view. More than 70,000 Pakistani people died and its economy suffered billions of Dollars loss in the war against terror.

"We were fighting the US war of terror as Pakistan had nothing to do with the 9/11, Al Qaida was in Afghanistan and there were no militant Taliban in Pakistan. We join the US war, but unfortunately when things went wrong and when I blame my government as we did not tell the US exactly the truth on the ground, part of the reason was our government was not in control. There were 40 different militant groups operating within Pakistan," he said.

"So Pakistan went through this scare, so why the US expected us to do more and help US in this war," he said and added that Pakistan was at that time fighting for its own existence.

The prime minister said it was very important that he met President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and explained to them the way forward that the relationship had to be based on mutual trust.

"Trust me, I will be telling the truth, I will be telling the US what we can do in this peace process. Pakistan is now trying to gather Taliban at the negotiating table to start this dialogue and so far we have done pretty well, but it is not going to be very easy," he said, adding it should not be expected it would be very easy.

He said the situation in Afghanistan was very complicated, but he assured the US leadership that the Pakistan government would be trying its best as the whole country was standing behind him, the Pakistan Army, security forces all were behind him.

"We all have the same objective, and it is exactly the same objective the US had, and which is a peaceful solution of the Afghan issue as quickly as possible," the prime minister said.

Imran Khan expressed the hope that from now onward relationship between the two countries would be at different level. "It was painful for us to watch this mistrust. Pakistan had been an ally of the US since SEATO and SENTEO in the 1950s, then again in Jehad when the Soviet attacked Afghanistan. So we were again on the same page. We were in the US war after the 9/11." The prime minister hoped that now onward "our relationship would be on truth and trust and I think Pakistan has a great strategic location and a unique place in the world. It has two of the biggest world markets." Earlier, US Congress Speaker Nancy Pelosi, other congressmen and Co-Chair of Pakistan-US Caucus welcomed and warmly received the prime minister at the Capitol Hill.

They appreciated the role Pakistan was playing especially in the Afghan peace process. Prime Minister Imran Khan had made history by proposing a solution to the lingering Afghan issue.

They said Pakistan-US relations were very important and hoped that with the visit of the prime minister economic ties between the two counties would further grow. The US would cooperate with Pakistan in education and energy renewable sectors, they added.

They said Pakistan had suffered a lot in the war against terror and militancy.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also spoke on the occasion and thanked the members for hosting the reception. "We need to engage with you and thank you for giving us the opportunity to talk to you here in the US Congress," he said.

He said the role of US Congress for strengthening of relationship between the two countries was very important. Prime Minister Imran Khan was not only a popular leader in Pakistan but in the entire world, he added.