Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Friday said Pakistan greatly values its friendly ties with the United Kingdom and desires to further strengthen these relations.During a meeting with the UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in London, the interior minister said Pakistan and UK have shared policy on various issues as there exists multifaceted cooperation between both countries, said a press release.

Discussing regional situation, the interior minister said that the present government has a clear view regarding peace in the region and having friendly relations with the neighbouring countries but unfortunately the same has not been reciprocated from the other side.India, he said, is trying to sabotage the efforts for peace on one pretext or the other and is putting regional security and stability at stake.He said it is a strange logic by India that neither the core issue should be discussed nor Kashmir be mentioned and no consultation with Kashmiri leaders should be held.This, he said is unacceptable to Pakistan and is a major hurdle in efforts towards peace in the region.

Speaking on Afghanistan, Nisar said the Pakistani government and its security institutions have made the impossible as possible by facilitating dialogue for peace in Afghanistan.“But we are concerned that regional countries and international community have not shown positive response towards our efforts,” he said. Unjustified and unnecessary criticism on Pakistan is not acceptable to us, he added.