The Pakistan Government is considering another US $31 million military assistance to Sri Lanka for its fight against terrorism apart from the US $ 50 million assistance to the Sri Lankan Government to purchase military hardware, Pakistan Foreign Minister Inam ul Haque told the visiting Sri Lanka media delegation in Islamabad yesterday.
The Pakistan Foreign Minister, however did not elaborate what kind of military assistance they were going to provide Sri Lanka through this assistance. He said Pakistan has always assisted Sri Lanka in its fight against terrorism and will continue with its assistance to eliminate terrorism from Sri Lankan soil.
He said Pakistan accommodates 250 to 300 military officials from Sri Lanka in various military training schools including the highest military training school, the National Defence University of Pakistan.
Sri Lankan military personnel are trained annually and the number can be increased if there is request from the Sri Lankan Government, the Minister said.
“If there is a request from the Sri Lanka side to increase the training slots, that can be arranged,” the Foreign Minister added.
He said a defence pact is not necessary for Pakistan to support Sri Lanka for its fight against terrorism since it is no longer a bilateral issue and it has become part of global terrorism.
Haque said the issue of suicide bombing started in Sri Lanka by the LTTE has spread to Iraq, Afghanistan and now Pakistan.
“There is an element of transnational terrorism and it is no longer a bilateral issue,” the Pakistan Foreign Minister said. Pakistan as a sovereign country is always concerned about the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka and it will continue to support Sri Lanka to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, Haque said.
“No third country can impose any limitations on Pakistan’s assistance to Sri Lanka for its fight against terrorism,” the Minister said.
Haque said Pakistan strongly backed Sri Lanka’s proposal to hold the 2008 SAARC summit in Sri Lanka in view of the 60th anniversary of Independence.
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