Did Pakistan say it will use nuclear weapons "first" ?
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President says Pakistan not to use N-weapons first
Agencies
ISLAMABAD: Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani and President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday in a meeting stressed that the United States must respect the Pakistani parliament's resolution regarding the war on terror.
The army chief called on the president here and apprised him of his recently concluded visits to Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Brussels. The issues pertaining to the prevailing security situation and frequent drone attacks in the border areas of Pakistan came under discussion.
Sources said that President Zardari and General Kayani agreed that the United States must respect the Parliament resolution. Earlier, in his video address to the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit President Asif Ali Zardari Saturday said despite differences, Pakistan and India have a great future together and neither country should feel threatened by the other.
He also said Pakistan will not use nuclear weapons first.
"We shall take Pak-India relationship to a new level," President Zardari said.
"I do not feel threatened by India and India should not feel threatened by us," he said.
The president said: "Today we have a parliament which has already pre-agreed to a friendly relationship with India."
He said: "in spite of our disputes, we have a great future together." Zardari said. "I admit that the two countries have challenges but there a need for looking at the opportunities that exist between the two countries." The president said: "We (Pakistan and India) are at the crossroads of history. The world is in turmoil and there are challenges to be faced."
He said his late wife Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had said "we should grow to the challenge and with the help of the world we intend to grow with this challenge." The president said both Pakistan and India were facing more challenges from inside than outside. "In every Pakistani there is a little Indian and in every Indian there is a little Pakistani," Zardari said amid loud applause.
Zardari said bilateral ties remained strained during the cold war, but he hoped that the people of the two countries could now move together for a bright future. Asked if he would invite former president Pervez Musharraf to join the government, Zardari said: "It is for Parliament to decide."
Responding to a question about the country's economic situation and plans in place to improve it, he said he wished to bring out the real strength of Pakistan. "We believe in the concept of trade, not aid. Nations have been spoiled in the past by the concept of aid, so we are looking at being trading partners with the world, looking forward to finding new markets for Pakistan."
President Zardari said Pakistan also wanted to explore India's huge market of over one billion people and another 1.2 billion in China, "and take advantage of the region and take the country's development forward."
The president said he had brought a message of peace and love from Pakistan since he was also the bearer of the legacy of the late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto. He said ZA Bhutto was the architect of the first Pakistan-India treaty -- the Simla agreement. He also mentioned the treaty signed between late Benazir Bhutto and Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Zardari called for changing the current Pakistan-India mindset which has kept the two nations away from each other. Commenting on the possibility of a joint Pakistan-India operation to fight sea-piracy, the president said: "If asked, we will definitely join in and do whatever I can in this regard."
He said both Pakistan and India can together become trading powers like greater Europe and could also work together on the economic front. The president urged the people of India and Pakistan to initiate dialogue to resolve the longstanding issue of Kashmir.
He said after the dialogue between the two peoples, the politicians should suggest a solution which can render justice to the people of Kashmir.
Asked about long delays in getting visas, the president proposed adopting a methodology that uses an e-card instead of a passport, to ease the way the two peoples cross into each other's territory. Responding to a question about any shift in the Pak-US relationship as the new administration assumes office, and whether he saw any decline in the ties, he said it would happen only if Pakistan was found lacking in fighting the terrorists.
Zardari said he looked forward to interacting with President-elect Barack Obama to discuss entire bilateral issues and not just terrorism. Asked whether he missed his late wife, Zardari said "spiritually I feel her with me all the time. She is guiding us, not just me, but all the political forces in the country."
