ISLAMABAD, 17 November 2004 — Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri has termed his US counterpart Colin Powell as a friend of Pakistan and has said that the resignation of Powell would not affect Pakistan-US relations.
The foreign minister said that Pakistan was a coalition partner of the US and Pakistan would continue its friendship with Powell in the future. Kasuri said that the efforts of Powell to strengthen Pak-US relations could not be forgotten.
“The relationship of both countries is based on mutual interests and on respect of each other’s sovereignty and the resignation of Powell would have no effect on the relations,” said Kasuri.
“Powell has been a sane and reasonable voice in international affairs. He remained a great friend of Pakistan. We will miss him,” Kasuri told reporters.
“On a personal level, I will miss him because I had developed good personal chemistry and warm relations with him,” he said.
“I look forward to closely interacting with his successor in strengthening further Pakistan-US relations,” he said.
“We hope his replacement will have a similar approach in international affairs and will help prevent friction in the international community and work for resolution of problems and disputes.”
He said that he hoped that good relations would again be established with the successor to Powell so that bilateral relations could be strengthened further.
Powell has always praised Pakistan for its efforts to uproot terrorist networks operating along the Pakistan-Afghan border and extended his condolences for the loss of life during recent operations in that region.
“Pakistan has an important role to play in this region as a peaceful, moderate modern Muslim nation, a nation that is becoming increasingly democratic,” Powell had said.
He had always stood for the United States committed to a long-term partnership with Pakistan.
Andhe believed that the environment would have every opportunity to strengthen relationship in strategic ways. Pakistan has an important role to play in this region as a peaceful, moderate modern Muslim nation, a nation that is becoming increasingly democratic, he said in a recent meeting with Kasuri.
He has said that the United States applauds a number of the critical challenges that Pakistan is taking which includes fighting terrorism, countering extremism, stopping proliferation, reforming education, and building stronger democratic institutions.
Meanwhile Pakistan has arrested five alleged agents for supplying weapons to militant groups and seized ammunition and large boxes from their possession in Lahore yesterday.
The agents were arrested for supplying weapons to Sipah-e-Sahaba and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, two outlawed Sunni Muslim groups accused of deadly attacks on sectarian groups in Pakistan.
