The United States has urged Pakistan to make an all-out effort to defeat terrorism in the South Asian region, since war against the menace has reached an ‘inflection point’ in the area.
“With respect to Pakistan we believe that Pakistan can do more to combat terrorism,” Pakistan daily Dawn quoted Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana W White as saying at a weekend news briefing here.
This is an inflection point and this is an opportunity and Pakistan has an opportunity to do more, she said. “They’ve been victims of terrorism. So, we’ll look forward to continuing to work with them to see where there are opportunities,’ Ms White added.
When told that Pakistan has welcomed the Afghan government’s latest peace offer to the Taliban, the Spokesperson said, “The Taliban has to abandon terror, it has to abandon violence, and it has to support the Afghan constitution.”
The United States continues to consult New Delhi, not only about “India’s very important role” in Afghanistan, she said but also on other issues that go beyond the South Asian region.
The briefing precedes Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua’s two-day visit to Washington, which begins on Tuesday for talks that follow a similar, unscheduled visit to Islamabad by a senior Trump aide, Lisa Curtis.
Ms Janjua will have a series of meetings both at the White House and the State Department and will also address think-tank experts at the US Institute of Peace during her short stay in Washington, official sources confirmed on Sunday.
