Peace in region can lead to achieving shared goals, says Ch Nisar

Islamabad
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan Friday said that peace in the region was a shared objective of the two countries and close collaboration and enhancing multifaceted cooperation between the two countries was of great significance for achieving shared objectives and goals, the spokesman for the Ministry of Interior said.
He was talking to US Ambassador to Pakistan Richard G. Olson who called on him at Punjab House.
Interior Minister’s visit to US, Pak-US bilateral relations and regional situation was discussed during the meeting.
Ch. Nisar Ali Khan said that Pakistan while keeping its national interests supreme wants to have a long term, sustained and multifaceted equation with the United States that would not only contribute towards bringing the two countries closer to each other but would also contribute significantly towards the promotion of regional peace and development.
Discussing his visit to the United States, the Interior minister appreciated White House initiative of convening a conference on countering violent extremism and observed that the need to have serious discussions and deliberations on this issue was never as great as it is today.
The Interior minister reiterated his call that strengthening the local communities, winning the trust of mainstream peace loving majority, building resilience in local communities against radicalization, addressing the push factors that drive people towards extremism and focusing on education to promote tolerance and communal could form the conceptual bed rock for global action plan in dealing with violent extremism. He complimented US administration and President Obama’s stance in clearly differentiating between extremism and Islam.
Ambassador Olson while appreciating the struggle of the Government and the people of Pakistan against militants and extremists said that the United States was committed to further strengthening its bilateral relations and enhancing cooperation on issues of mutual concern.