ISLAMABAD, June 14: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Thursday that political stability was important for achieving foreign policy objectives.

Addressing the 6th annual convocation ceremony of the National Defence University, he said the strength of a country was measured not in terms of its ability to impose unilateral decisions, but to create a win-win situation for all.

The prime minister spoke at length on foreign policy, revival of economy, energy crisis and political stability, terming them the focal points of his government.

He said the government had made a paradigm shift towards making its neighbourhood peaceful, stable and prosperous on the basis of peaceful co-existence, in an upfront manner.

“For us the most important capital in the world is Kabul, and the government in Kabul is the most important partner,” he said.

The prime minister told the graduating students, including 13 from abroad, that a peaceful, stable and sovereign Afghanistan was an absolute prerequisite for stability and peace in Pakistan.

Pakistan was the first to suffer at the hands of strife in Afghanistan and the first to benefit from peace in that country, he said.

“However, we strongly believe that the solution to Afghanistan will have to come from within Afghanistan. It will have to be led and owned by the Afghans.”

The prime minister termed the country’s relations with India “stable and peaceful”. “We have tried to transform this relationship by approaching it in a positive rather than in a traditional manner.”

He said normalising trade with India had been an issue that no previous governments wanted to touch.

“But we decided to look at this issue from a purely national and regional perspective.”

He also mentioned the resumption of full dialogue with India, which covered all issues, including Siachen, Sir Creek, counter-terrorism, water issues and the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir. —APP