Zardari to hold key anti-terror talks today

ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari will hold key talks today (Sunday) in Tehran with his Iranian and Afghan counterparts to evolve a comprehensive joint strategy to root out the menace of terror. President Zardari, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinej-ad and Afghan President Hamid Karzai will hold the trilateral meeting in a bid to finalise the joint strategy for eliminating terrorism and militancy from the region on permanent basis, said an official here on Saturday desiring not to be named. The three leaders were holding the important talks following their last meeting on the sidelines of 10th ECO Summit in Tehran held early this year in March, the official said. It was at that meeting that the three leaders decided to continue with the high level talks to devise the common anti-terror strategy with focus on increasing intelligence sharing so that the region could be saved from the global menace of terror, he said. He said that the President would discuss with his counterparts from Iran and Afghanistan other important issues of drugs and human trafficking adding that the three sides would discuss ways and means to resolve those matters as well. He said that apart from the trilateral summit, the President would also have bilateral meetings with his Iranian and Afghan counterparts. During those meetings all bilateral issues would be discussed with focus on enhancing economic cooperation. One important issue in the field of economy is that of multi-billion dollars gas pipeline project between Iran and Pakistan. It is also in the stage of finalisation and a major breakthrough on the vital issue is also expected during the talks between President Zardari and the Iranian leader, the official said. He said that still another issue that would figure for discussions in the high level talks was that of cooperation between Islamabad and Tehran to lessen the severe electricity crisis confronting Pakistan. He said the President would ask the Iranian leader to help accelerate work on the proposed project of 1000MW power supply from Iran to Pakistan, a step that would go a long way in doing away with the electricity crisis in Pakistan.

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