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NEW YORK, Jan 22: Reaffirming his belief that ‘courage, magnanimity, flexibility and a passion for peace’ were essential for resolving the Kashmir dispute, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that Pakistan is a peaceful country with no aggressive designs but it will not be bullied by anyone.
“We don’t want to have an armed conflict with anyone and want to live in peace but peace has to be achieved through strength and not weakness,” Mr Aziz told a large gathering of Pakistanis at a New York hotel on Saturday.
Saying that the country’s defence strategy was of ‘a minimum credible deterrence,’ he added: “We are a nuclear and missile power and have conventional capabilities.’
Mr Aziz, who spoke for about two hours, said there were cynics in the government, who opposed reform and progress and did all in their power to stop development.
“However, because of our conviction and determination to work in national interests, we remain committed and the country is financially stronger than ever before.”
INTERVIEW: In an interview with ABC news, weekend edition of Good Morning America, Mr Aziz said there was no indication that Osama bin Laden was hiding along the rugged Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Mr Aziz disputed the US intelligence view that Bin Laden was in that area saying “I don’t think it would be a correct assumption.”
“He’s not in our neighborhood,” Mr Aziz said. “I don’t think this is necessarily linked to Pakistan in any way.”
Mr Aziz said 80,000 Pakistani troops patrol the region. “We are controlling it,” he said. “But as you know, when the terrain is as difficult as it is, there are many ways for these people to go back and forth.”
Despite reports in the American media that many Al-Qaeda operatives were killed in the US drone attack on the Bajaur area, Mr Aziz told the network “I’m telling you as prime minister of Pakistan that there’s no tangible physical evidence”.
US officials hope to conduct DNA testing on physical remains from the site to determine who was killed — though, officially, the United States is not allowed to conduct ground searches in Pakistan.
“I don’t know if the nature of a movement like this needs summits,” he said. “My personal view is that it would be most unlikely.”
“That’s not how these things happen,” he added, dismissing even the idea of a “dinner party” of Al Qaeda bigwigs. “It’s not like you go and get invited, and everybody assembles. It seems a bit out of the ordinary.”
Mr Aziz said President Pervez Musharraf and other Pakistani officials had no prior knowledge of any impending air-strike.
“Normally … presidents of countries don’t get involved in individual operations,” he said. “I think there was a general awareness of activity going on, but we were not specifically informed.”
Mr Aziz said he would discuss the rules of engagement with President Bush on Tuesday at the White House.
“Clearly, every country’s sovereignty needs to be protected and safeguarded,” Mr Aziz said.
