U.S. President Barack Obama has spoken to Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif by the phone and condemned Sunday's terrorist attack in Lahore that killed nearly 70 people, the PM office said late Wednesday.

"The President extended condolences on behalf of the people of the United States on the Lahore tragedy and requested the PM to convey his feelings to the affected families," a statement from the PM office said.   A splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban "Jamaat-ul-Ahrar" had claimed responsibility for the attack.

"The people of the United States are with the government and the people of Pakistan in this tragic moment and we will extend every help to Pakistan to eliminate terror from its soil," the Pakistani statement quoted President Obama as saying.

Prime Minister Sharif cancelled his visit to the United States this week due to the Lahore terrorist attack that shocked the whole nation as it killed and injured civilians including women and children.   President Obama appreciated the Prime Minister's decision to stay with his nation at this testing time by not attending the Nuclear Security Summit, the statement said.

"President Obama told the PM that we will meet in near future and I am eagerly waiting for this meeting," the PM office said.   The U.S. President "acknowledged and appreciated the leadership of the Prime Minister in the anti-terror effort and believed that Pakistan will succeed in this war."   On his part, the Prime Minister said that the invisible enemy is killing innocent people who are soft targets for them due to their broken infrastructure.

"My resolve and the resolve of my nation is getting stronger day by day. The Pakistani nation will win this war against this invisible enemy and extremist ideology," Sharif told the U.S. President.

Source:
courtesy of XINHUA NEWS AGENCY

by Xinhua News Agency

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