ISLAMABAD, Jan 19: Pakistan on Monday reassured India that it would conduct a transparent investigation on ‘information’ about the Mumbai attack and said that defeating terrorists was its top priority.

Renewing the government’s determination to make use of all resources for national defence, it urged Nato forces to stop drone attacks in tribal areas which were counter-productive.

President Asif Ali Zardari in separate meetings with Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and members of an advisory panel of economists of the Planning Commission on Monday, is reported to have reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthen national defence.

Sources said that the president’s meeting with Gen Kayani discussed a recent statement of the Indian army chief about keeping all open ‘all options’, including a war with Pakistan.

The president said Pakistan’s response would be positive if India acted positively on its offer for joint efforts to track down terrorists.

In his meeting with Planning Commission officials, the president said the government’s first priority was to combat militants to restore its writ and to assure investors that their investments would be safe and yield high dividends.

“Security to investors and (resolution of the issue of) circular debt are critical issues which need to be resolved on a priority basis for an economic turnaround,” he said.

President Zardari is reported to have told the Planning Commission’s team, headed by Dr Hafeez A. Pasha, that stability of micro-economic indicators, overcoming the energy shortage and providing a social safety network were major economic goals for ensuring national growth with a human face. The president also stressed the need for developing alternative sources of energy to meet the growing domestic demand.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani urged the US and Nato member states to stop drone attacks and strengthen the intelligence-sharing mechanism and said they should help strengthen Pakistan’s armed forces and law-enforcement agencies to effectively combat extremists and terrorists.

Mr Gilani was talking to UK’s Secretary of State for Defence John Hutton, who had called on him at the PM House on Monday afternoon.

He termed incursions into Pakistan by the US and Isaf unacceptable and said they were counter-productive to the government’s efforts to detach extremists from tribal areas.

“Although the US and other allies have been promising Pakistan much-needed economic and capacity-building assistance, not much has been delivered in real terms,” he said. He said the British government should allow defence manufacturing firms to export equipment to Pakistan without any let or hindrance.

Mr Gilani also urged for early finalisation of the sale of two surplus Royal Navy ships and increase in the training facilities for Pakistan.

He offered the sale of light arms and ammunition to the British Forces deployed in Afghanistan.

The prime minister commended the efforts of British government to defuse tensions in South Asia, and said that Pakistan would cooperate with India in the investigation of Mumbai terrorist attacks.

He said that the ministry of interior had appointed a team of experts to look into the information provided by India and its findings would be shared with India and other countries, as soon as they were available.

Mr Hutton acknowledged that Pakistan itself was a victim of terrorism and said he was encouraged by the prime minister’s reassurances that Pakistan would share the results of its enquiry into the Mumbai attacks with India.

He said Pakistan and Britain were facing a common challenge on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and 2009 would prove to be a decisive year for restoration of stability and normalcy in Afghanistan.

Calling for Pakistan’s continuous engagement in counter-terrorism campaign, Mr Hutton assured the prime minister of his country’s complete support in meeting its genuine defence needs. Mr Hutton said that despite the global economic crisis, his country would offer economic help to Pakistan bilaterally as well as through the Friends of Democratic Pakistan Forum.

He conceded that continuing drone attacks were having adverse effects on Pakistan government’s counter-terrorism campaign and promised to take up the issue with the US and other allies.