ISLAMABAD, March 16: Senate Chairman Mohammadmian Soomro on Friday said terrorists have no religion or philosophy of life therefore terrorism should not be linked to any particular religion, faith of the people.
He, however, underlined the need of addressing the root causes of terrorism like, hunger, poverty and injustice for eradicating the menace completely.
He was talking to an eight-member delegation of the Nato Parliamentary Assembly headed by Mr Karl A. Lamers, Vice President of the Nato Parliamentary Assembly and Chairman of its political Committee, which called on him here.
He stressed the need of greater interaction between the Parliamentarians of Pakistan and the Nato countries.
He said it would not only help in removing any wrong perception but pave the way for strengthening the cooperation in the economic, trade, political and cultural fields.
Mr Soomro said that Pakistan desired friendly relations with all its neighbours as it was committed to peace and stability in the region as well as in the world. It is precisely for this reason that it wants a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan, which will be in its own interest as well as in the interest of the region.
He said Pakistan‘s commitment to global war on terror was above everything and the country would not be deterred by the enormity of the task or by the colossal cost it was paying. He underscored the need of projecting Pakistan’s pivotal role in the global war on terror in the correct perspective so that people could understand how deeply it was committed to global peace and harmony.
The leader of Nato Parliamentary Assembly delegation, Mr Lamer termed his talks with the Pakistan Parliamentarians and Government functionaries as very positive and useful. “Pakistan is a very important partner in the global war on terror and we recognize the sacrifice made by the country and we also appreciate its genuine security concerns.”
He said that Pakistan and Nato shared many perceptions and this body was mandated by the UNSC to help the Afghan government it was told that the scope of Nato’s operations in Afghanistan was confined to security and peace keeping only.
While talking to the Kazakh Ambassador to Pakistan Mr Bakhybek Shabarbayev, who called on him Chairman Senate has said that Pakistan has historical, cultural, social and economic links to the Central-Asian region which date back to many centuries.
Mr Soomro said that the emergence of Central Asian Republics (CARs) as independent states some 15 to 16 years ago, was an event of far-reaching consequences. He said there was a need to further upgrade Pakistan-Kazakh relations in the economic field with a view to promoting economic integration in the region, within the framework of the ECO.
He especially mentioned the fact that the Central-Asian Republics have been blessed with abundant resources of energy particularly oil and gas, which could further accelerate the process of economic development in the region.
