Qureshi says Pakistan not collapsing

Lahore, Apr. 13 (ANI): Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has rejected a US claim that his country is on the verge of collapse.

In an interview to CNN-IBN, he said that statements from senior US officials on Pakistan facing internal collapse were mere exaggeration.

He, however, said only certain 'pockets' of Swat are under the control of the Taliban or under attack. "I will not deny that it's a concern," he said.

On Indo-Pak relations, Qureshi said that India should stop accusing Pakistan of terrorism.

"You can only address that concern by cooperating with Pakistan and not accusing Pakistan. That negative policy will not be in your interest. We had in place a process or the composite dialogue. Unfortunately, the tragic Mumbai incident put that on hold," he said.

When asked about India's response to the 30 questions posed by Pakistan on the Mumbai attack, Qureshi said: "Everything has not been answered, but we will proceed forward in a cooperative environment. If more is required, we will share it with you."

He also said that Pakistan had taken positive steps to dismantle the terror infrastructure "which are not being recognized."

On US accusations of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) having links to the Taliban or Al Qaeda, Qureshi said Pakistan was in the process of restructuring ISI, adding that the organisation "has been cleansed".

He added the US should have conveyed any concerns related to the ISI through diplomatic channels instead of through the media. (ANI)