Cabinet meets today to discuss Pakistan's foreign policy

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will preside over a meeting of the federal cabinet on Tuesday (today) to discuss Pakistan’s foreign policy in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia and his criticism of Pakistan for allegedly harboring terrorists.

The cabinet will discuss the situation emerging after Trump’s diatribe against Pakistan. The National Assembly’s session has also been summoned on Wednesday (tomorrow) to take parliamentarians on board on the foreign policy of Pakistan in the light of the US strategy for the region.

 

Meanwhile, a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet has been underway in Islamabad with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in the chair. The meeting will consider a number of agenda items.

Earlier, the premier in an interview to an American new channel had stressed the need for a political settlement to the crisis in Afghanistan and said U.S. President Donald Trump’s strategy will meet the same fate as the plans of his predecessors.

“From day one we have been saying very clearly that the military strategy in Afghanistan has not worked and it will not work,” he said.

Abbasi said his government supported the fight against terrorists and it won’t let the war in Afghanistan to spill into Pakistan. He said Pakistan was willing to work with all countries including India to achieve regional stability. Still, he added the Afghan government should be “owning” the issue and dealing with the Taliban.

“If they require our support, our support is available,” the premier said and added, “Our Support is unconditional as far as terrorism is concerned.”

He said, “We do not intend to allow anybody to fight Afghanistan’s battle on Pakistan’s soil. “Whatever has to happened in Afghanistan should be happening in Afghanistan,” he said reiterating that Pakistan doesn’t harbor terrorists.