London: Weeks into new dialogue with the US on resetting relations, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said his nation was still operating on a trust deficit with Washington.
"There's a trust deficit between both the countries, between both the governments," Gilani, who is in London on a five-day visit, said as his fate at home hangs in balance.
"That is the reason we are wanting to work for new terms of engagement and cooperation with the United States," he told CNN in London.
Pakistan has been a key US ally, but relations between the two nations have been strained in recent months, especially after last year's killing of Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil and a NATO airstrike in November that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
Amid a lack of harmony, the Obama administration has said it is not convinced Pakistan is pulling its weight. At the end of an Asia tour on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Pakistan ought to do more in fighting extremism.
Gilani countered that his country was doing all it could in partnership with the United States.
"If there is any credible, actionable information, please share with us, because are already working with you," he said.
"My ISI is working with the CIA. What else do you want?" The ISI, or Inter-Services Intelligence, is Pakistan's powerful spy agency, which some US officials have charged is protecting militant groups.
Asked how relations between the two nations improve?, Gilani replied, "One point....That is mutual respect and mutual interest."
A lack of trust is not the only stain marring a critical relationship. Pakistan has said it wants an end to US drone strikes on its territory, and Gilani made the point again.
"We always take drones as counterproductive, and it's not lawful," Gilani said.
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