WASHINGTON: The United States wants to work with Pakistan to remove the possibility of future tensions between the two allies in the war against religious extremists, says the US State Department.
“We have had some moments in our history, particularly recently, where there has been some mistrust, and that’s why we want to work together so there isn’t,” the department’s deputy spokesperson Marie Harf told a briefing in Washington.
Last week, US Special Representative James Dobbins said that Pakistan was not taking appropriate measures to curb terrorism in the country. At a congressional hearing, Mr Dobbins claimed that religious seminaries in Fata and Balochistan were producing people who carried out terrorist attacks inside Afghanistan and Pakistan. He also said that relations between the two countries had become “abysmally low.”
Asked to comment on the envoy’s statement, Ms Harf said Pakistan and the United States had “worked very closely” in the fight against terrorists.
The United States, she added, wanted to help Pakistan fight the terrorists because “they face a threat from terrorists more than probably anyone in the region.”
The US official noted that terrorists had killed more Pakistanis inside the country than anyone else had ever done. “So that’s why we’ve worked really closely with the government on these issues and will continue to do so,” she said.
Ms Harf also noted that Washington’s relations with Islamabad had improved under the Sharif government and hoped that this trend will continue.
