Readout of the President’s Meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan

The statement said Obama and Sharif expressed their commitment to the Afghan peace process and called on Taliban leaders to enter direct talks with Kabul, which have stalled since inaugural discussions in Pakistan in July.

After holding a meeting with US President Barak Obama, Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif stated that Islamabad will take effective measures and strong political actions against Laskkar-e-taiba and other terrorist groups, to improve bilateral relations between India and Pakistan.

Outlining his vision of a peaceful neighbourhood, Sharif reiterated his commitment to remain engaged with the Afghan leadership to enhance mutual coordination in dealing with the common challenges of terrorism and promoting peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.

“Describing Kashmir as “a flashpoint” between India and Pakistan, Sharif said there is a need for a third party mediation to resolve the issue and end stalemate in the Indo-Pak dialogue process”.

Prime Minister said he informed the US President the centrality of the Kashmir dispute in reducing tension between the two countries and for lasting peace.

Prime Minister said ties between Pakistan and the United States have reached new heights compared to what they were two years.

Sharif, at present on his second bilateral go to to the United States, met President Barack Obama on Friday and held extensive-ranging talks.

Obama said he looked forward to using the meeting as an opportunity to further deepen the longstanding relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan.

President Obama and Prime Minister Sharif recognized the shared interest in strategic stability in South Asia. At least two other nuclear-capable ballistic missiles and two new cruise missiles are in development, they said, adding that they see signs that Pakistan also is developing a nuclear weapon – possibly a cruise missile – for deployment on submarines.

Answering a query on sale of advanced fighter jets to Pakistan, he said India’s reservation to supply of such was well known.

Asked if the USA was satisfied with counterterrorism actions that Pakistan is taking, including against the Haqqani Network and LeT, he said: “Pakistan has embarked on significant military operations that have had a significant impact”.

The President noted that the Prime Minister and his government are pursuing important reforms to encourage economic growth and stability, and the leaders announced the launch of a new clean energy partnership to help Pakistan meet its energy needs in a sustainable way and combat climate change.

“Pakistanis have suffered greatly at the hands of terrorists and violent extremists, ” Schultz said, while praising Pakistan’s ongoing military effort against “terrorist sanctuaries” that have had “significant impact”.

“Just yesterday, I was at a protest in front of the White House where I called Pakistan the epicenter of global terrorism”. U.S. officials took the unusual step of briefing correspondents of India-based or India-centric media separately on the Pakistani prime minister’s visit, purportedly conscious of any misrepresentation or mischaracterization of the outcome of the Obama-Sharif talks.