ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said here on Wednesday that he planned to strengthen the National Security Council (NSC) and make it an institutionalised forum with the power to take relevant decisions.

In the past, he said, stakeholders spoke differently, but now everyone should come and speak at this forum and then implement decisions taken there.

Addressing a special cabinet meting, he said the government was moving in accordance with decisions taken by an all-party conference about a peace initiative.

The best option is to achieve peace through talks. But “when we start dialogue, drones derail everything”, he said.

The prime minister said it was a calculated decision of the government to address extremism through dialogue, whether some people liked it or not, and that was why he had declared in the presence of US President Barack Obama that drone strikes were not acceptable.

He said Pakistan had tried to improve relations with Afghanistan and persuaded the Taliban to hold talks through Mullah Baradar and with Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s peace council headed by Sadruddin Rabbani who was reported to have held ice-breaking meetings with the group.

“We have to adopt a multi-pronged policy to address the challenge of extremism and terrorism. We have also decided that Pakistan’s and Afghan soil or territory would not be allowed to be used in activities against each other,” he said.

Mr Sharif said he had talked to the Japanese prime minister and requested him to revive a $1.5 billion loan for Karachi Circular Railway.

“They have agreed but want us to wait for at least two successful reviews by the IMF of our reform programme to move ahead,” he said, adding that it was his strong desire to give Karachi a modern transport system.

He said the entire world, including big powers like the United States, United Kingdom and Japan, wanted programmes and dialogue with the International Monetary Fund because investors and multilateral agencies looked at its reviews, but it was being seen as a negative thing in Pakistan.

“This culture of criticism based on perceptions should end now,” the prime minster said.