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Jalil Jilani Addressed Australian Institute of International Affairs Canberra

The High Commissioner for Pakistan to Australia, Mr. Jalil Abbas Jilani addressed a gathering of intellectuals, representatives of think tanks, media and senior officials at the Australian Institute of International Affairs on Tuesday 24 February 2009 on the topic 'Foreign Policy Challenges of Pakistan'. The High Commissioner briefed the gathering about the challenges faced by Pakistan and the strategy being followed by the democratic Government to overcome them.

Mr. Jilani said that Pakistan’s three-pronged strategy (political dialogue, economic development and military campaign against elements unwilling to lay down arms) to deal with the situation in FATA and Swat was paying dividends. As a result of efforts by our Government, peace was fast returning in the troubled areas.

Speaking on Pakistan-India relations the High Commissioner Jalil Jilani said that Pakistan had conducted investigations on the Mumbai attacks in a serious, sincere and transparent manner. The same was appreciated by the international community and declared positive by India. Both Pakistan and India were victims of terrorism and should fight it jointly. It was imperative that the dialogue process is restored at the earliest as tension was neither in India nor in Pakistan’s interests.

Sharing Pakistan’s perspective on the situation in Afghanistan and the Western border, the High Commissioner Syed Jalil Abbas Jilani said that Pakistan favoured a multi-faceted comprehensive and balanced approach which enjoyed the support of the regional countries.