India meddling in Karachi, Fata, Balochistan

WASHINGTON: Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Wednesday handed over three separate dossiers containing evidence of Indian involvement in subversive activities in Karachi, Fata and Balochistan to the US Secretary of State John Kerry.
The meetings between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and prominent US officials including John Kerry here at the Blair House set the tone for the important meeting between Nawaz and US President Barack Obama today (Thursday) here at the White House. There was no reference to any nuclear deal between Pakistan and the Undated States in any of the meetings.
Nawaz has made it clear to the US that Pakistan is willing to play a positive role in bringing about peace in Afghanistan and initiating dialogue with India for the peaceful settlement of outstanding issues including the core dispute of Kashmir.
Highly placed sources told The News after the meetings that cordiality was the buzz word of the encounters that took place all day at various levels. The meetings took place in the presence of key ministers of the Nawaz government. The sources maintained that John Kerry along with senior officials of the State Department called on Nawaz at the Blair House. Recalling their long and cordial interactions over the years, they took stock of recent developments in the relationship and stressed the need for continued high level engagements on all issues of mutual interest. The prime minister was assisted by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Water and Power Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Sartaj Aziz, Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi, Secretary to PM Haji Javaid Aslam, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry and Ambassador Syed Jalil Abbas Jilani. The prime minister briefed Secretary Kerry on the important achievements of his government over the last two years, especially in the economic and internal security domain.
Kerry assured the prime minister of continued US cooperation to further enhance economic engagement between the two countries including in meeting Pakistan’s energy needs. The two sides also discussed the situation of peace and security in the region and it was agreed that terrorism posed a common challenge to regional and global security and reaffirmed their resolve to counter this challenge.
The prime minister informed the secretary of state that the ongoing military operation Zarb-e-Azb as well as the National Action Plan are achieving the desired results in improving internal security and eliminating the menace of terrorism from Pakistan.
It was pointed out that the incidents of terrorism in Pakistan had significantly reduced in the wake of the operation. Secretary Kerry commended the significant gains achieved by Operation Zarb-e-Azb which had decimated the terrorist organisations in the border region.
Appreciating the commitment of the prime minister to promoting peace and security in the region, Kerry reaffirmed US support to work with Pakistan in this shared objective. He emphasised that Pakistan’s role in taking the reconciliation forward is critical to stabilising Afghanistan. It was further agreed that enhanced coordination amongst the regional countries would be imperative to address these emerging threats to international peace and security. Informing the US delegation about his peace initiative contained in his statement at the recent session of the UN General Assembly, the prime minister underlined his commitment to contribute towards promoting a peaceful South Asia. The prime minister apprised Secretary Kerry of Pakistan’s efforts to improve relations with Afghanistan and reiterated his commitment to seek normalisation with India. Kerry was briefed about the destabilising role of Indian agencies in Fata, Balochistan and Karachi.
Addressing the US-Pakistan Business Council luncheon meeting at US Chambers of Commerce, Nawaz invited the US investors to use diverse areas for investment in Pakistan and benefit from some of the most attractive investment regimes offered anywhere in the world to foreign entrepreneurs.
He reminded that the investor-friendly policies of the government aimed at providing lucrative incentives to the foreign investors are being appreciated across the world. He said that Pakistan also offers perfect land, geography and people. He said he was keen to see Pakistani products reach out to the US markets and said increased trade between the two countries would help strengthen ties between the two countries. The prime minister shared with the US entrepreneurs the improved security situation in the country and said under a comprehensive strategy his country is taking on all shade of terrorists. He said current year witnessed lowest number of terrorist attacks and positive results are visible. He said the operation Zarb-e-Azb is a success and has broken the back of the terrorists. He also pointed to the upgraded ratings by international rating agencies and said all these positive assessments have been made on the back of a market turnaround in the country’s economy. He said per capita income has increased 12 percent, fiscal deficit has lowered, while revenues have increased by 33 percent, foreign exchanges reserves have been raising considerably, while inflation was at its lowest. He said his government is working on numerous projects to end power load-shedding by 2018. He said overcoming energy shortage is one of his top priorities. He also spoke about the successful sale of the 3G and 4G spectrum and said privatisation is one of the major areas of focus of his government. He said his government would continue to take measures to improve country’s economy. He said Pakistan is also working on the ambitious multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which he said offers numerous investment opportunities to foreign investors. He said the project would also benefit the entire region and help boost trade and economic cooperation between the regional countries. He also mentioned the Turkmenistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project and several road and rail linkages that would connect it to Central Asian Republics. The prime minister said Pakistan is desirous of having peaceful ties with all its neighbours.