Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi asked US officials on Monday not to panic over Taliban advances along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. Qureshi said Pakistan had sent terrorists in its tribal areas a 'clear signal' that they must lay down arms, as he sought to quell Western fears raised by a recent peace deal between the government and the Taliban in Swat.
"We mean business, and if we have to use force, we will use force. We will not hesitate," Qureshi told AP on the sidelines of meetings with his Afghan and Iranian counterparts.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week said Pakistan was "basically abdicating to the Taliban and the extremists", although she later said Pakistan was beginning to realise the threat terrorists posed.
"My response is: 'Please do not panic'," said Qureshi in response to Hillary's comments. "We have now a common enemy, and we've devised a common strategy to deal with the enemy. ... we will not surrender, we will not capitulate, and we will not abdicate," he said.
Qureshi said Pakistan wanted to concentrate more of its military forces on its western tribal regions, but that the US needed to help lower tensions between Pakistan and India.
Qureshi also applauded recent overtures by US President Barack Obama's administration to Iran on the issue of Afghanistan.
"The fact they have agreed to a regional approach, the fact they have been talking about a holistic approach, the fact that they recognise that the military option is not the only option ... that in my view is a positive development," he said.
Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta said that any talks between the US and Iran would decrease tensions and would 'without any doubt' benefit Afghanistan.