PM Pledges to End Sense of Deprivation of Baloch People

LAHORE -- Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Sunday said that Pakistan was a powerful country and could look any country in the eyes on national interest. Addressing a press conference at the State Guest House here, the Prime Minister said that safeguarding national interest was of supreme importance for his government. He said that Pakistan wanted to maintain friendly relations with the United States (US) on the basis of mutual respect and mutual interest without compromising on each other's national interests. Gilani said, "We have explained to the US government that if it is answerable to Congress, then we are equally accountable to the Parliament". To a query, the Prime Minister said there was no question of raising fingers at Pakistan's role in the fight against terrorism. Because of strategic position, Pakistan had to take up the role of a frontline state role in the fight against terror, he said and added that Pakistan's intelligence agencies and the Central Intelligence Agency (of US) were working in close liaison with each other while both the countries had launched joint actions against high-level targets in the past. Condemning the cross-border attack in Chitral, he said that the Foreign Office had protested to the Afghan government on the issue.