Pakistan denies claims of sheltering terrorists

CAIRO- 8 September, 2017: Pakistan rejected again allegations that it were sheltering terrorists who are plotting deadly attacks in Afghanistan, the Voice of America cited Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif as saying.

Asif recounted Pakistan has lost thousands of its citizens, including security forces, and suffered massive economic losses while fighting terrorism.

Pakistan has vowed to stay engaged with the United States to help fight terrorism in neighboring Afghanistan, but said the war “cannot be won by excluding or confronting” Islamabad, he said.

“We want to stay engaged with the United States. There is absolutely no doubt about it ... But this relationship will be driven by the interest of Pakistan. We want to have a relationship based on mutual respect,” Foreign Minister Asif told reporters after the meeting.

US President Donald Trump criticized Pakistan when he announced his long-awaited Afghan war policy last month. He accused Islamabad of harboring terrorists linked to the Taliban and Haqqani network, which are undermining US-led efforts to stabilize Afghanistan and staging attacks on American forces.