US considers Pakistan important country of region: Zakaria

ISLAMABAD: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said the United States considers Pakistan an important country in the region. While speaking on state television, the spokesperson remarked that Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi held important meetings on sidelines of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session with high-ranking officials of various countries. The PM's meeting with vice-president of United States was very important, and both the countries want to engage each other, he said. He added, Pakistan has played a key role in assisting Afghanistan both financially and domestically. He said Pakistan had been hosting a huge number of Afghan refugees for decades, which have put a heavy burden on our economy. More than one million Afghan students were studying in Pakistani institutions and many had gone back after getting the education, he said. Nafees Zakaria said there were no safe havens for terrorists in Pakistan, adding that the country has denied earlier allegations in this regard. Afghanistan is the country where these safe havens existed, he added. He also said that Afghan government did not have its control on its 40 percent area. The spokesperson said Indian activities in Afghanistan had been shared with Afghan and US government with proper evidence. Confessional statement of Kulbhushan Jadhav is also an evidence in this regard, he stressed. Pakistan has been holding high-level meetings with Afghanistan for establishing better relations and moving ahead for resolving issues, he explained.