Pakistan will seek extensive support for its war on terror at the upcoming Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit to be held in Beijing this week, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said in an interview with Xinhua on Tuesday.
"I expect a lot of interactions with all the world leaders. And there would be an opportunity to discuss with them our basic problem, that is about extremism and terrorism in the country," Gilani said on the eve of his trip to China.
Gilani will be visiting China on October 23-25 to attend the 7th ASEM summit. It will be the first time for the country to attend the apex gathering since it joined ASEM in 2006.
Gilani said Pakistan, being strategically in the frontline of the anti-terror war, has suffered a lot from its fight against terrorism and extremism.
"When there is one suicide bomb in my country, there is flight of capital. At the same time, because of one suicide attack, there is no investment in my country," Gilani said.
Militant violence has intensified across Pakistan in recent months in apparent reaction to an army offensive against the militants in the rugged northwest.
"We are fighting for peace, prosperity and progress of the whole world. Therefore the world should understand we are fightingin the frontline, and our friends should help us at the difficult time," he added.
Pakistan is stepping up military operations in the northwestern tribal regions, which are believed to be the strongholds of pro-Taliban militants, as the security situation becomes worse.
Gilani outlined the government's three-pronged strategy to fight menace of terrorism in the tribal regions, that is, political dialogue, development and military action.
Gilani also warned that Pakistan would not allow anybody to interfere in its sovereignty, in an apparent reference to recent cross-border missile attacks by the US-led forces in Afghanistan.
With regard to the country's severe power shortage, Gilani urged European and Asian nations to enhance cooperation in the energy sector, including civilian nuclear power cooperation. He invited other countries to invest in this regard.
During his stay in Beijing, Gilani is expected to meet with Chinese leaders as well as leaders of other countries attending the ASEM summit.
He will also hold a meeting with Chinese businessmen to discuss trade and investment opportunities.
"Sino-Pakistani relations are time-tested and all-weather friendship... And it's not only government-to-government contact, (but) also people-to-people contact," said Gilani.
"We have a lot of friends. The best one is China," he said.
(Xinhua News Agency October 22, 2008)
