Pakistan says it needs F-16s from US for counterterror ops

The key meeting will take place soon after the U.S. announced to sell eight F-16 fighter jets worth $700 million to Pakistan, despite an objection from India and mounting opposition from influential American lawmakers.

The Adviser said that Pakistan has consistently appreciated the United States support in enabling its capacity to fight terrorism.

In his opening remarks at the start of the Strategic Dialogue Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said that the Kerry Lugar Berman Act and the revival of this Strategic Dialogue Framework have helped transformed Pak-US relations into a mutually beneficial partnership.

He was talking to media along with US Secretary of State John Kerry after sixth round of ministerial level Pakistan-US strategic dialogue in Washington on Monday.

Aziz said: "I would use the yardstick of these three elements in sharing my assessment of the significant changes that have occurred in Pakistan in the past two and a half years. Groups like the Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Taiba seek to undermine Pakistan's efforts to foster strong, positive relationship with its neighbours", he said.

Meanwhile, speaking with VOA, former US Ambassador to Bahrain Adam Ereli said Pakistan is a country of enormous geo-strategic consequences.

He said that as a result of the ongoing military operation Zarb-e-Azb, the most treacherous and unreachable areas in FATA especially in North Waziristan were now under the writ of the State.

"Secondly, in line with priorities of the National Action Plan, we are taking all necessary measures to launch intelligence based operations and choke the funding sources of terrorist organizations". "We'll also continue to coordinate with Pakistan on the overall counter-terrorist strategy, and we recognise that every country can do more to intensify to destroy and defeat violent radical extremists", he added.

Afghan government and Taliban representatives are expected to meet in Islamabad by the first week of March for their first direct talks since a previous round of the peace process broke down past year.

As the threat of Islamic extremism has grown in Pakistan, so has worldwide concern grown on the security of the nation's nuclear arsenal.

"We encourage that. I think it's required to encourage both leaders to engage in the dialogue that they've engaged in", he said.

"This film told the remarkable story of a very courageous young woman who survived an attempt at an honor killing by her father and her uncle", Kerry told the assembled diplomats from both countries.