Civil, military leadership rejected US policy: Khurram

GUJRANWALA: Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir on Sunday said the US policy was based upon allegations and, therefore, the civil and military leadership did not make any contact with Washington after President Donald Trump’s anti-Pakistan statement. However, talks were under way at the diplomatic level, he added.

He said the new US policy had been rejected and the government would attend the UN General Assembly session with a clear stance. Talking to the media, the defence minister said Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif were scheduled to attend the General Assembly session and would present a clear standpoint on terrorism and the Afghan policy to the US officials.

Khurram said there had been a shift in Pakistan’s defence policy and the enemies were very much obvious. Work was in progress to eliminate the remnants of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad and Haqqani network, he added.

The defence minister reminded that the terrorists currently controlled 40 per cent area in Afghanistan and the focus should be peace in that country, not pointing fingers at Pakistan. He said the PTI would suffer defeat in NA-120 with even bigger margin. Nawaz Sharif was in London due to health issues of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz and would return in a week, he added.