Sartaj Aziz, Adviser to Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif on Foreign Affairs, has conceded that Pakistan cannot prosper until terrorism and militancy are completely defeated.
According to a report in ‘The Nation’, Sartaj Aziz further said that Pakistan was a victim of terrorism and understood fully well that it was endangering global peace.
“Our problem is terrorism, which we are trying to eliminate. Once terrorism and militancy are completely defeated, we will be on the road to prosperity,” Sartaj Aziz said on Friday.
Denying the allegations of Pakistan “providing refuge to the terrorists” and “playing a double-game”, Sartaj Aziz said that his country wants a world free of terrorism.
“We have launched a war against the menace and we also support the global effort against it,” he added.
He further said that under Operation Zarb-e-Azb and the National Action Plan (NAP), the armed forces and the civilian authorities had nearly wiped out the evil and brought the most affected areas back to life.
Sartaj Aziz pointed out that Pakistan enjoyed a strategically important location at the crossroads of regions of south Asia, central Asia and west Asia.
“Knowing our importance, we want friendship and cooperation of the international community,” he said.
