Pakistan on Wednesday rejected a US media assertion to dump United States and instead align with China for striking a peace deal with Taliban and rebuilding the economy. An article published in Wall Street Journal (WSJ) alleged that Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani had asked Afghan President Hamid Karzai, during his April 16 visit to Kabul, for realignment saying Americans had failed them both.
In response to a query regarding the article, Foreign Office spokesperson Tehmina Janjua "rejected baseless assertions made in it." "Pakistan fully supports an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned process for peace and reconciliation. This fundamental principle is now widely acknowledged. Pakistan recognises the key role of the United States in promoting stability, peace and harmony in Afghanistan," she added.
A trilateral meeting of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United States, at the senior officials' level is being held in Islamabad early next month. The purpose of ongoing engagements with Afghanistan and the United States is to have strategic coherence and clarity, the spokesperson added. Later in the evening while addressing the National Assembly, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani clarified that he had asked the Afghan President for a direct link with Islamabad.