ISLAMABAD, June 26: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that Pakistan has all the essential elements of democracy. Speaking at the inaugural session of an envoys’ conference at the Foreign Office, he said the country had a functioning and sovereign parliament, an active opposition, unrestricted political activity, free press and independent judiciary. He said good governance had been provided through transparency and accountability.

Provincial and national elections would be held next year, he said.

He said Pakistan’s efforts to normalise relations with India had achieved partial results and the time had come for dispute resolution, especially of the core dispute of Kashmir. He said Pakistan remained committed to promoting security and stability in Afghanistan in its own national interest.

He said: “We have managed to maintain and improve our relations with all the major powers. We are a major non-Nato ally of the United States as well as a strategic partner of China. Our relations with the European Union, Russia and Japan have steadily grown in substance. Pakistan remains a key partner of the international community in the war against terrorism. We have consistently maintained a principled position in favour of just and equitable resolution of the Palestine and Kashmir issues on the basis of self-determination.”

“We must never be apologetic or defensive about the country or the pursuit of our interests,” he said.

“We must broaden the scope of our diplomacy and adopt a multi-pronged strategy,” he stressed.

The prime minister said expatriate Pakistanis remitted over $4 billion every year and they were the largest potential source of foreign investment. Providing them customer-friendly services and addressing their problems expeditiously could greatly contribute towards enlisting their support for the promotion of the country’s interests, he noted.