ISLAMABAD - Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit Thursday said that government welcomed the US decision of designating the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as a foreign terrorist organisation. Addressing the weekly briefing on Thursday, Basit said, We welcome the US decision to declare TTP as a foreign terrorist organisation, adding that Pakistan had already banned this organisation. He said the decision would lead to positive impact. He also hailed the US announcement to pull the forces out of Iraq saying this would bring stability and prosperity in the region. The US decision is a welcome development. We wish stability and prosperity for the people of Iraq and believe that this is another important juncture in Iraqs history and hope that the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq will help inject further stability, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The US is implementing its strategy in Afghanistan exactly following the pattern which President Obama in his speech on December 1, last year stated. In our weekly press briefings, there have been questions whether starting phased withdrawal of US forces from July next year will be of any help to achieve overall stability in Afghanistan. So the debate is on but at this stage, we do not see the US precipitating their exit. We believe that US is fully committed to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan and that they are trying to pursue a comprehensive and holistic approach as Pakistan has been saying all along in this context, Abdul Basit told reporters during the weekly press briefing held on Thursday. He said the international community in Afghanistan continued and Pakistan hoped it would sustain through the crucial times ahead with a view to achieving common objectives of peace in Afghanistan. The spokesperson told reporters that there had been no concrete progress as far as Samjotha Express investigations are concerned. We are awaiting details from India on this and we hope that they will expedite this matter so that the perpetrators who committed this heinous crime are brought to justice, Basit said when asked. When his attention was drawn to a statement of hand-picked Chief Minister of held Kashmir Umar Farooq Abdullah, the FO spokesperson made it loud and clear that Jammu and Kashmir was a disputed territory, which was awaiting solution in accordance with UN resolutions and aspirations of the people of Jammu & Kashmir. Replying to another question, he said the government was making arrangements to hold a donors conference to ensure rehabilitation of flood-affected people of the country, adding that the world community had promised to provide $1 billion aid for flood affectees of the country. The spokesperson said that the government knew right from day one that the international response to the flood situation would pick up and gradually gain momentum that is happening today. The Pakistani Diaspora around the world by doing a fantastic job in providing relief assistance. The people in Pakistan have also joined hands to mobilize resources locally and to reach out to the affected areas. In a nutshell, things are getting momentum, spokesperson said. Basit told reporters that on the international front, a meeting at the ministerial level will be held in New York on September 19, which will be followed by a Ministerial meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan in Brussels on 15 October. He further said that FODP would also focus on the flood situation. Answering another query, Basit said, Prime Minister was just highlighting the fact that as compared to the government, the administrative cost, which is incurred by NGOs in relief and recovery operations, is very high. This is a well-known fact. He was not in any way raising questions about the work of NGOs, as such. When asked if it was true Pakistans Consul General in New York could not do well to collect aid by showing flood video clips on NASDAC Tower, the spokesperson said only 30 seconds were given to show a video clip on the NASDAC tower screen rather than one or two hours as reported by some newspapers. There are many gaps in the reported story. A detailed report from our Embassy in Washington will help set the record straight, Basit added.