Washington: The United States will keep growing its security alliance with Pakistan, the State Department announced on Wednesday.
A US official also emphasized the need to make sure that aid supplied from abroad to Afghanistan does not end up in the hands of “unintended recipients” during a news briefing in Washington.
Recalleding Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s offer to collaborate with the United States on common goals of global peace and regional security, Spokesman Matthew Miller stated that Washington was also open to such an arrangement.
In response to a kind letter from US President Joe Biden, the prime minister made this offer earlier this week, indicating a wish to fortify bilateral ties.
When asked how the United States could assist Pakistan in combating the TTP and other militant groups that are outlawed, Mr. Miller responded, “We will continue to expand the security partnership between the United States and Pakistan. We have spoken to that a number of times from this podium. It has been a priority for us and will continue to be so.”
Mr. Miller took issue with a journalist’s assertion that the US was eager to denounce the detention of opposition figures in India while ignoring those in Pakistan. “I disagree with that description of the situation. As is our attitude with any country in the world, we have stated time and time again that we want to see everyone in Pakistan treated with respect for human rights and in accordance with the rule of law,” he said.
The American official stated, “We have made clear to the government of India that we want to see them conduct a full investigation and we continue to look forward to the results of that investigation,” in response to a question concerning the attempt by an Indian intelligence operator to kill a Sikh lawyer in New York.
In response to another inquiry concerning the delivery of UN aid to militants in Afghanistan, he stated: “To guarantee that the aid reaches those in need, we need all of our partners’ safeguards in place.”
He stated that in order to make sure that US funding did not “indirectly benefit the Taliban or could be diverted to unintended recipients,” the US also keeps an eye on “all of our assistance programs.”
