PESHAWAR: After a rare visit to North Waziristan to see the gains made by security forces during Zarb-i-Azb operation, a visiting US bipartisan Congressional delegation met the architects of Pakistan’s foreign policy in Islamabad on Sunday and was told that there was a dire need of maintaining strategic balance in South Asia against the backdrop of the developing Indo-US relationship.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz informed the visiting delegation led by Senator John McCain, the chairman of US Senate Armed Services Committee, about Pakistan’s earnest efforts, particularly during the past few months, to keep the Pak-US partnership on track.

In what appeared to be a reference to the US support for India’s bid to become a member of the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group, the adviser “with reference to recent developments concerning the India-US relations, emphasised the need to maintain strategic balance in South Asia,” said a Foreign Office statement.

Sartaj Aziz stresses need for maintaining strategic balance in South Asia

The US Senators assured Mr Aziz that the strengthening of the India-US bilateral ties did not in any way impinge upon or diminish the importance of US relations with Pakistan.

The statement said that the senators also highlighted the significance of improved relations between India and Pakistan.

Recognising the need for a greater contact between Pakistan and the US, they reiterated the importance the US government and Congress attached to the stability and continued progress of Pakistan.

They stressed that the Pakistan-US relations had maintained their strategic dimension over the decades and that the relationship would retain its vigour in the years ahead.

Mr Aziz briefed the US delegation about recent meetings with the Afghan officials in Islamabad and on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organi­sation summit in Tashkent on the vital issues of Pakistan-Afghanistan border management, Afghan refugees and the peace and reconciliation process.

He stated that Pakistan remained committed to the Quadrilateral Coordination Group process in Afghanistan, which provided a broad and mutually agreed mechanism aimed at facilitating the government and people of Afghanistan to take the lead in restoring peace, stability and economic prosperity in their country.

Senator McCain and his colleagues welcomed the closer coordination between Pakistan and Afghanistan on various complex issues.

The US delegation, which returned from North Waziris­tan’s headquarters Miramshah, deeply appreciated the enormous success achieved by Pakistan in its counterterrorism campaign, which they said was so impressively visible during their trip.

They wished that other members of the US Congress were also present with them to witness the outcome of the successful military operations in North Waziristan themselves.

The US Congress will be briefed appropriately for continued support to Pakistan in its efforts towards economic development and complete eradication of terrorism from the country, they added.

Special Assistant to the PM on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi and Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry were also present.

Earlier, Senator McCain, Senator Lindsey Graham and Senator Joe Donnelly reached North Waziristan to visit areas cleared of terrorists during Zarb-i-Azb operation that was started two years ago.

According to an Inter-Services Public Relations statement, they saw the erstwhile hideouts and communication infrastructure that had been cleared of terrorists.

They also met those soldiers and officers who were seriously wounded during the initial phases of the operation and had now voluntarily rejoined the battlefield.

The delegation was highly appreciative of the army’s accomplishment of cleansing the entire area of North Waziristan right up to the Pak-Afghan border. They also commended the rehabilitation work being carried out by the army to resettle the displaced people back in their area.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2016