Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ms. Sherry Rehman has said that the President of Pakistan has not given any form of consent for U.S. or allied forces to carry out strikes inside Pakistan, and that the government is firmly committed to extending moral and diplomatic support to the just cause of Kashmiris for their right of self-determination.  

"The President has been saying consistently is that if the coalition forces see any evidence of cross-border activity then that actionable intelligence should be shared with Pakistan immediately so we can take action on the ground. At all forums the President has clearly asked all allies and forces to respect Pakistan's territorial integrity. At no point will the President or this government compromise on Pakistan's sovereignty."

Ms. Rehman said that President Zardari's visit to the U.S. was a major success as the President effectively communicated to the global community Pakistan's position on the war on terror as well as respect for its own territorial integrity. She said that President Zardari took the international community onboard on issues pertaining to the scourge of militancy and extremism in Pakistani and on the significance of supporting Pakistan's efforts to fight terrorism.

It should be noted that when the strategic forum of Friends of Pakistan was floated, the US Secretary of State, Ms Rice was emphatic is asserting that they were supporting the Friends of Democratic Pakistan, making it clear that all the countries represented there were invested in Pakistan's new democratic government, and had full confidence in the country's new leadership.

Ms. Rehman said that the President strongly conveyed to the international community the need for a joint counter-terrorism strategy, and for Pakistan's allies to respond to its military and strategic requirements for fighting terrorism. "Unilateral actions by the U.S. often serve as a setback to our joint efforts against terrorism," she said. "Rather, as the President has said, they create a negative impact on Pakistan's position on terrorism and turn the tide in favour of militancy."

Commenting further on statements in the WSJ article attributed to President Asif Ali Zardari on the issue of Kashmir, Ms.Rehman said the President has made it very clear that the just cause of Kashmir and its struggle for self-determination has been a consistent central position of the PPP for the last forty years.

"There has been no change in this policy," said Ms. Rehman. "The President has never called the legitimate struggle of Kashmiris an expression of terrorism, nor has he downplayed the sufferings of the Kashmiris. All his statements on India should be viewed in context of Pakistan's current bilateral relations with that country."

The Federal Minister pointed to the ongoing Pakistan-India composite peace dialogue and several confidence-building measures as an example of the warming bilateral relations between the two countries. "However," she said, "our efforts for peace with India will not be traded off with our principled stand on Kashmir."