Grossman should visit only after review of US-Pak ties: Pak

Islamabad: Pakistan today said US Special Representative Marc Grossman should visit the country only after the government had completed a review of bilateral relations so that the trip would be productive and result-oriented. Asked about reports that Pakistan had rejected the special envoy’s request to visit the country during a trip to the region, Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit told a weekly news briefing that Islamabad wanted Grossman’s next visit to productive and result-oriented. [caption id=“attachment_188042” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Grossman’s visit was delayed so that it is result-oriented. Reuters”] [/caption] “It is, therefore, important that he visits Pakistan after we have completed our homework,” Basit said, in a reference to an ongoing parliamentary review of Pakistan-US relations. “Pakistan wants a relationship with the US that is free from the ups and downs of a rollercoaster. It is our belief that the parliamentary process, which is currently underway to finalise the terms of engagement from our side, will lead to a positive outcome for both our countries,” he said. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani ordered the parliamentary review after a cross-border NATO air strike killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November last year. Pakistan responded angrily to the attack by shutting all NATO supply routes and forcing the US to vacate Shamsi airbase, reportedly used by CIA-operated drones. In response to another question, Basit said Pakistan had “not yet” decided on reopening the NATO supply routes. “I am not aware of any such development,” he said. Basit said Pakistan’s new Ambassador to the US, Sherry Rehman, had discussed the state of bilateral relations when she presented her credentials to President Barack Obama yesterday. “What we are looking for is a relationship that is based on mutual respect and mutual interest. No inter-state relationship can be built without first mutually agreeing on its fundamentals,” he said. PTI