Islamabad: A two-day conference of Pakistani envoys opened in Islamabad on Monday to deliberate on "different aspects" of the country's foreign policy with special focus on reviewing the relationship with the US and Nato, the foreign ministry said.
The conference has assumed importance as Pakistani leaders have decided to review the country's relationship with the US and its Western allies in the wake of the Nato attack on Pakistani border posts that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
"We are reviewing the terms of engagement with Nato and the US," foreign ministry spokesperson Abdul Basit said ahead of the conference.
Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar presided over the conference and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha briefed the participants about the Nato strikes, Xinhua reported.
Setting the tone
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has already set the tone for the review of ties with the US by saying that the relationship will not be like in the past.
Ambassadors and High Commissioners posted in key capitals are participating in the conference and will "deliberate on different aspects of Pakistan's foreign policy", the spokesperson said.
The conference was called after Nato fighter jets and helicopters carried out what Pakistani leaders viewed as an intentional attack on two border posts in the country's Mohmand tribal region bordering Afghanistan. Islamabad reacted angrily to the attack as the military leadership said the Nato aircraft violated the ‘Red Lines' clearly defined to US/Nato and ISAF forces in Afghanistan.
