Pakistan needs trade not aid from US: Ahsan
Ahsan Iqbal said that we want to see US as development partner and not as a donor country.
LONDON (Dunya News) - Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that no country in the world has rendered as much sacrifices and made contributions more than Pakistan in the fight against terrorism in the recent past. He said that we lost more than 60,000 people and the country incurred more than $25 billion loss in war against terror.
This he stated during an interview with CNN in London on Tuesday. Ahsan Iqbal said that Pakistan s sacrifices in the fight against terrorism are unparalleled.
He said that we are committed to fighting terrorism and there is very nominal aid from United State. He said that Pakistan is not fighting this war for US aid and added that we are fighting this war for our own people.
To a question he said that Pakistan needs trade not aid from US. He said that we want to have strong and knowledge-based partnership with the US. He said that we want to see US as development partner and not as a donor country.
Talking about Afghan issue, Ahsan Iqbal said that Pakistan and Afghanistan are bound by geography and it is in the interest of both Pakistan and US to work together to resolve this issue. He said that we are the first country that faces the cost of instability and we are the first country that gets dividend of peace in Afghanistan
Answering a question, he said that Pakistan has been made scapegoat for United States failure in Afghanistan war. He said that Pakistan and US need to follow a comprehensive approach for peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Answering a question about Pakistan, US relations, he said that US needs to see these relations from its own independent perspective and not through prism of India.
