Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, referring to the Indo-US nuclear deal, on Thursday said that Pakistan was a nuclear state and would take every step to maintain strategic balance in the region. "Let me assure the House that we'll continue developing our nuclear programme and will not allow shift in the balance of power in South Asia," said Kasuri while winding up speech on the country's foreign policy with special focus on the Pak-US relations.He strongly condemned the statements of US presidential hopefuls on bombing Muslims' declaring them imprudent. "These are insane and foolish remarks. I have conveyed to our counterparts in the US Congress and the administration as well that these remarks and the bill linking US aid to Pakistan with its anti-terror performance will prove counterproductive," he said.
He said not even a single individual of the 1.25 billion Muslim population could tolerate such irresponsiblestatements and threats issued by Tom Tancredo and Barrack Obama. "Let me also make it clear that the defence of our sacred places is not only the responsibility of the Saudi Arabia. Muslim living across the world will get united if anybody tries to cast an evil eye on our holy places," he warned. He called for legislation at international level to safeguard religious sentiments of all communities in the world.
He said that he had already made it clear to the US administration that their elections should not be held at the cost of Pakistan. The foreign minister strongly refuted US claims of Pakistan's tribal areas being safe havens for Al-Qaeda terrorists and ruled out the possibility of unilateral action by the US or NATO inside Pakistan. "Let me state it categorically that there is no safe haven for terrorists in Pakistan. There could be some individuals hiding in tribal areas and we're taking action against them. We're ready to take action against anyone if provided with any credible information," he said.
Declaring any US military action inside Pakistan would be unacceptable, Kasuri said that Pakistan was a sovereign state and would not allow any unilateral action on its soil, as its own forces were capable enough to deal with any challenge.
He said he had conveyed it to the US administration that linking Pakistan's aid with its performance in anti-terror war was also disappointing and could prove counterproductive in war on terrorism. Defending the country's foreign policy, Kasuri said that Pakistan had decided to join the war on terror in the best national interests and not on US dictates. "Terrorism is a great concern not only for the US but also for our friends like China and Saudi Arabia," he said.
Rejecting the opposition's claims of Pakistan following the US diktat, the foreign minister said that the government had opposed the US stand on several international issues. To support his point, Kasuri referred to Iraq war, nuclear issue of Iran, Iran-India-Gas Pipeline, UNSC's resolution on weapons of mass destruction, nuclear proliferation by non-state actors and comprehensive convention against terrorism. "We have also successfully halted the entry of some states in the UNSC during its reforms against the US policy," he further said.
Responding to some MNAs' call for halting ties with the US and some other countries, Kasuri said that Pakistan could not afford isolation at a time when the world had turned into a global village. "Our policies are based on two principles, national economy and defence. We're trying to get free access of our products and services to the US and the EU markets so that our economy could grow. We've achieved some success too," he said.
He said Pakistan's policy was not US-centred as it enjoyed exemplary relations with China, Muslim world, Europe and East Asia. "We're also members of all effective regional and