Washington, October 3
The US is unlikely to revoke the suspension of aid to Pakistan until it sees substantial progress against terrorists and their safe havens, the Trump administration has told Islamabad as top officials of the two countries met here to try to reset their strained ties.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton, during their separate meetings with Pakistan’s new Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, are understood to have told him that in its assessment, the US does not see any changes on the ground when it comes to taking action against terrorists operating from the Pakistani soil. Given Pakistan’s influence over the Taliban, the Trump administration also wants it to bring them to the negotiating table to end the nearly 17-year-long strife.
Secretary Pompeo met Qureshi yesterday following up on their September 5 discussions in Islamabad on a range of bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest.
Welcoming the Foreign Minister, Pompeo said the US looked forward to working with Pakistan’s new government, according to State Department’s Spokesperson Heather Nauert. Pompeo discussed the importance of the US and Pakistan working together to advance joint priorities, recognising that the bilateral cooperation was mutually beneficial and a factor for stability in South Asia. Pompeo underscored a common goal to advance peace and security in the broader region, Nauert said.
The situation in war-torn Afghanistan dominated the separate meetings Qureshi held with Bolton and Pompeo. Qureshi met Bolton for 40 minutes at the White House before heading to the State Department for another meeting with Pompeo. The second meeting was also attended by Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua and Ambassador Ali Jehangir Siddiqui.
In a readout, the Embassy of Pakistan here said Qureshi had a wide range of discussions with both Pompeo and Bolton which included among others bilateral and regional issues, including Pakistan’s strained relations with India. Last month, the Trump administration cancelled $300 million in military aid to Islamabad for not doing enough against terror groups active on its soil. — PTI
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