http://www.geo.tv/7-17-2010/68502.htm
Pakistan lost $43 bln in last nine years on terror war: FM
Updated at: 1705 PST, Saturday, July 17, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Saturday highlighting the importance of international help and cooperation said Pakistan needs budgetary support for poverty alleviation and to complete development projects to fight against the menace of terrorism and extremism.
In his opening remarks at the meeting of Ministerial Meeting of Friends of Democratic Pakistan held here at Foreign Office the Foreign Minister said, "Today we are having to divert significant resources from our development programme towards fighting the militancy and in the immediate term we need budgetary support so that our poverty alleviation and development programmes continue uninterruptedly."
The meeting was also being attended by Special Representative of U.S. President Obama for Pakistan and Afghanistan Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, representatives from the members of the FODP, World Bank and other international financial organizations.
Foreign Minister Qureshi in his opening remarks further said the third FODP Ministerial meeting will be held in Brussels on 15 October this year.
Qureshi said with a little push from FODP governments Pakistan can quickly put on the path to a significant economic growth with benefits trickling down to Pakistanis across the board.
He said Pakistan cannot win against this hydra-headed global menace without international support adding that no country, however preponderant, can defeat terrorism alone. He said, "In this struggle, we win and lose together."
"We are confident that the meeting would help give further impetus to our work, and help achieve good progress," he added.
He said the FODP is a unique process led by Pakistan itself and it is a vehicle for a long-term engagement with democratic Pakistan.
The Minister said, "It is about extending support to us in our peace and development efforts in accordance with our own national priorities with the view to strengthening Pakistanis hands against extremism, militancy and terrorism."
This forum, he said, is usefully serving to identify and discuss priority areas for FODP partners to engage bilaterally or multilaterally through the World Bank Multi-Donor Trust Fund for Pakistan.
He said on one hand the FODP process is focusing on Pakistan's energy deficit, as well as helping in the implementation of the Malakand Development Strategy, on the another hand it is expected to promote foreign investment in Pakistan through the mechanism of public-private partnership.
Qureshi said Pakistan has suffered and continues to suffer enormously by terrorism and since 9/11 there have been 247 suicide attacks in Pakistan killing over 3000 civilians and injuring over 7000.
He said the evil forces of terrorism have not even spared mosques, other religious places and the shrine of a Sufi saint in Lahore.
"We have lost over 2550 security personnel in our ongoing law enforcement operations," said the foreign minister.
He said, "Our cumulative economic losses are also substantial and according to conservative estimates, Pakistan has lost $43 billion in the last nine years and our exports and foreign investments have been badly hurt."
He said the people of Pakistan have shown remarkable resilience in the face of varied and daunting challenges.
The Minister said Pakistan had to look after 2.5 million dislocated population from Malakand Division following the law enforcement operation there last year, and facilitated their return to their homes within a few months that speaks volumes of people's and institutions' inherent strengths.
The Foreign Minister assured the members of the FODP that evil forces of militancy will never succeed in denting national resolve and consensus against terrorism.
The Minister said the remaining amount of pledges made at the separate Donors' Conference in Tokyo last year may be expedited.
He said Pakistan needs greater market access for its goods, more foreign investment in Pakistan and institution capacity building.
The Minister said in the longer term it is trade not aid that would help achieve economic stability and prosperity in Pakistan.
Referring to FODP Public-Private Partnership Conference held in Dubai earlier this year he said it helped make a good start adding that good momentum generated at Dubai must be sustained.
He said Pakistan expects the FODP partners to encourage their respective corporate sectors to invest in projects that were presented at the Dubai conference.
The Minister said Pakistan is planning to hold the second public-private partnership conference in Islamabad sometime this year or early next year.
He said there is huge potential in Pakistan waiting to be tapped in infrastructure development, energy, agriculture, agro-based industry, mineral resources, education or health, foreign investment opportunities abound.
The Minister said the experience of over 600 foreign companies from across the world working successfully in Pakistan is a testament to Pakistan's great economic potential.
The Minister said extremism and terrorism are complex phenomena with many intricate dimensions and these cannot be defeated in a pressing economic environment.
"We need more jobs and ever more economic opportunities to prevent impressionable young minds from falling prey to misguided and pernicious ideologies which are antitheses of peaceful Islam," he added.
The Foreign Minister said Pakistan is a democracy with vibrant civil society, free media and independent judiciary.
Through the 18th amendment, he said, the Constitution of Pakistan has been cleansed of many a distortions.
He said, "We are slowly but surely moving towards making Pakistan a genuine federation with strong federal and provincial institutions to deliver."
He said the government has also taken long overdue legal and administrative measures to empower Pakistani women.
The Minister said, "Our relations with Afghanistan have been significantly improved. We are committed to fully supporting an Afghanistan-led reintegration and reconciliation process."
He said the upcoming international conference in Kabul on 20 July should help break new grounds. The importance of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan for Pakistan can hardly be exaggerated, he added.
He assured that Pakistan will continue playing its positive and constructive role both bilaterally with Afghanistan and multilaterally with other partners.
The Minister said, "We are very serious about normalizing our relations with India."
He said, "I met with my Indian counterpart in Islamabad just day before yesterday. We agreed to embark on a sustained dialogue process. This is a good augury."
The Minister said, "For too long, Pakistan and India have been entangled in a conflictual relationship. It is high time our two countries engage, with full sincerity of purpose, to resolve all the bilateral disputes and make a new beginning of normal relations anchored in sovereign equality and mutual interest."
Qureshi said normal relations between Pakistan and India would have far-reaching salutary effects for the entire South Asia and beyond. Pakistan will do its utmost to make this happen, he added.
Referring to report of FODP on energy sector, the Minister said, if implemented in full, it will help Pakistan fix most of its energy problems.
He assured that Pakistan will also provide greater comfort to potential investors in the energy sector.
He said, "We are confident that all FODP partners will fully support timely and full implementation of this important report.