Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif has told President
Obama the US should halt drone strikes in
Pakistan, a critical source of tension in the
relationship.
The two leaders held wide-ranging talks at the White
House on Wednesday, pledging to strengthen the often-
strained ties between the nations.
The leaders also discussed tension between Pakistan
and India over the disputed Kashmir region.
Mr Obama said the US and Pakistan remained
important strategic partners.
The talks in the Oval Office came just hours after India
accused Pakistani troops of firing guns and mortars at
several dozen Indian border posts in Kashmir.
One Indian guard was killed and six others injured,
according to media reports.
Mr Obama did not address the incident in remarks
after their meeting, but praised Mr Sharif for "taking a
very wise path in exploring how decades of tension
between India and Pakistan can be reduced".
"Billions of dollars have been spent on an arms race in
response to these tensions, and those resources could
be much more profitably invested in education, social
welfare programmes on both sides of the border," he
said. "[That] would be good for the entire subcontinent
- and good for the world."
Mr Sharif spoke of his commitment to building a "co-
operative relationship with India, and our efforts to
peacefully resolve all our outstanding issues, including
Kashmir".
'A challenge'
Relations between Islamabad and Washington
nosedived more than two years ago, when US special
forces killed al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in a raid
on his hideout in Abbottabad in north-eastern Pakistan
without giving the Pakistani government advance
warning.
Their ties were further tested by the killing of 24
Pakistani troops in a US air strike along the Afghan
border later in 2011.
Following the meeting, Mr Obama acknowledged that
tensions and misunderstandings would persist between
the two nations.
"It's a challenge. It's not easy," he said.
"We are committed to working together and making
sure that rather than this being a source of tension
between our two countries, it can be a source of
strength."
And he pledged co-operation in "ways that respect
Pakistan's sovereignty, that respect the concerns of
both countries".
Mr Sharif said the US and Pakistan "have travelled
together as friends and allies in defence of freedom and
the pursuit of international peace and security".
"Our two countries are bound by a common
commitment to the cherished values of democracy," he
said.
Drones
Mr Sharif said the two had agreed to strengthen co-
operation on counterterrorism.
"I also brought up the issue of drones in our meeting,
emphasising the need for an end to such strikes," he
said.
He stated his top domestic priorities were the
economy, energy, education and combating extremist
activity.
"We both agreed that progress in these core areas is
indispensable for creating new opportunities and
building a hopeful future for our next generation," Mr
Sharif said.
Mr Obama said both leaders had agreed on the
importance of leaving Pakistan's neighbour Afghanistan
"stable and secure" as US and coalition forces prepare
to withdraw next year.
The White House said a peaceful Pakistan-Afghanistan
border was critical to a successful counterterrorism
and counterinsurgency effort.
Both leaders "expressed satisfaction with the positive
momentum achieved in defence relations", the White
House later said in a statement.
They also pledged to abide by the commitments of the
2012 Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, Korea,
emphasising that nuclear terrorism was "one of the
most challenging threats to international security," the
White House said.
Obama the US should halt drone strikes in
Pakistan, a critical source of tension in the
relationship.
The two leaders held wide-ranging talks at the White
House on Wednesday, pledging to strengthen the often-
strained ties between the nations.
The leaders also discussed tension between Pakistan
and India over the disputed Kashmir region.
Mr Obama said the US and Pakistan remained
important strategic partners.
The talks in the Oval Office came just hours after India
accused Pakistani troops of firing guns and mortars at
several dozen Indian border posts in Kashmir.
One Indian guard was killed and six others injured,
according to media reports.
Mr Obama did not address the incident in remarks
after their meeting, but praised Mr Sharif for "taking a
very wise path in exploring how decades of tension
between India and Pakistan can be reduced".
"Billions of dollars have been spent on an arms race in
response to these tensions, and those resources could
be much more profitably invested in education, social
welfare programmes on both sides of the border," he
said. "[That] would be good for the entire subcontinent
- and good for the world."
Mr Sharif spoke of his commitment to building a "co-
operative relationship with India, and our efforts to
peacefully resolve all our outstanding issues, including
Kashmir".
'A challenge'
Relations between Islamabad and Washington
nosedived more than two years ago, when US special
forces killed al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in a raid
on his hideout in Abbottabad in north-eastern Pakistan
without giving the Pakistani government advance
warning.
Their ties were further tested by the killing of 24
Pakistani troops in a US air strike along the Afghan
border later in 2011.
Following the meeting, Mr Obama acknowledged that
tensions and misunderstandings would persist between
the two nations.
"It's a challenge. It's not easy," he said.
"We are committed to working together and making
sure that rather than this being a source of tension
between our two countries, it can be a source of
strength."
And he pledged co-operation in "ways that respect
Pakistan's sovereignty, that respect the concerns of
both countries".
Mr Sharif said the US and Pakistan "have travelled
together as friends and allies in defence of freedom and
the pursuit of international peace and security".
"Our two countries are bound by a common
commitment to the cherished values of democracy," he
said.
Drones
Mr Sharif said the two had agreed to strengthen co-
operation on counterterrorism.
"I also brought up the issue of drones in our meeting,
emphasising the need for an end to such strikes," he
said.
He stated his top domestic priorities were the
economy, energy, education and combating extremist
activity.
"We both agreed that progress in these core areas is
indispensable for creating new opportunities and
building a hopeful future for our next generation," Mr
Sharif said.
Mr Obama said both leaders had agreed on the
importance of leaving Pakistan's neighbour Afghanistan
"stable and secure" as US and coalition forces prepare
to withdraw next year.
The White House said a peaceful Pakistan-Afghanistan
border was critical to a successful counterterrorism
and counterinsurgency effort.
Both leaders "expressed satisfaction with the positive
momentum achieved in defence relations", the White
House later said in a statement.
They also pledged to abide by the commitments of the
2012 Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, Korea,
emphasising that nuclear terrorism was "one of the
most challenging threats to international security," the
White House said.
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