Gilani says Pakistan deserves US trust in fighting terror

Islamabad, Apr 6 (ANI): Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that Pakistan deserves America's trust, as it is "a frontline state fighting extremism and terrorism."

Gilani told the Tribune-Review that the country's critics do not understand the war's complexities or "the price we are paying."

"The Afghanistan-Pakistan border is such a difficult situation that even the United States and NATO forces are fighting... there for the last five and a half years, with what results?" Gilani asked.

"It is something like a guerrilla war, and we were not at all trained for such things," the Daily Times quoted him, as saying.

Pakistan is battling "with Chechens, with Uzbeks, with Arabs and with (fighters from) other countries," he said, and they "have the most sophisticated weapons.

"They are well trained. Drug money is coming to Pakistan ... and the warlords, they are spending in dollars, and there is a lot of equipment coming from abroad," he added.

The Prime Minister said "the three Ds" - dialogue, development and deterrence - are needed to win: "Army action is not the only solution."

Gilani called the military and the ISI "our national assets". (ANI)