Pak, US should bridge trust deficit: Gilani

Islamabad, Jan 12(ANI): Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has underscored the need to bridge the existing trust deficit with the United States.

Talking to a US delegation led by Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the US Senate's Armed Services Committee, Gilani said that greater trust-building was in the interest of a long-term strategic partnership between the two countries.

He urged the US to ensure an early disbursement of the long overdue payments under the Coalition Support Fund, the speedy provision of drone technology and sharing of credible and actionable intelligence with Pakistani agencies, The Daily Times reports.

Gilani also urged the US to remove Pakistan from the list of countries for whose citizens the US had recently introduced new screening measures, saying that persistence with such policies, which lead to "consternation and anxiety among Pakistanis" could affect the bilateral ties between the two countries.

The Prime Minister had earlier criticized the Obama administration's decision to carry out extra security checks, including full-body pat downs, on people flying into the United States from 14 mostly Muslim countries, including Pakistan.

Under the new rules, all citizens of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Algeria, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen must receive a pat down and an extra check of their carry-on bags before boarding a plane bound for the US. (ANI)