Daily Times

WASHINGTON:  At the culmination of his bilateral visit to Washington, the Finance Minister Ishaq Dar held a detailed meeting with the US National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. McMaster at the White House in Washington.

Dar was assisted by Ambassador Aizaz Chaudhry on the occasion, said a press release issued on Wednesday.

The two sides reviewed the state of play in the relationship and emphasized the need to have continued engagement on issues of mutual interest. The Finance Minister highlighted the economic reforms agenda of the Prime Minister which led to the macro-economic stabilization and earned appreciation by the international financial institutions. Updating the NSA on Pakistan’s security situation, the Finance Minister stressed that Pakistan’s commitment to fight terrorism from its soil was manifested by the successful conclusion of the operation Zarb-e-Azb which was now being followed by a nationwide combing operation Rad-ul-Fasaad As a result of these efforts, the incidence of terrorism in Pakistan had significantly reduced.

The US side noted Pakistan’s sacrifices in war against terrorism and its support to strengthen Pakistan’s counter-terrorism capabilities. NSA McMaster also briefed the Finance Minister about his recent trip to the region which aimed to assess the ground situation for the on-going US policy review for Afghanistan. The two sides agreed that peace and stability in the region was a mutual goal and both the countries would continue to work to this end.