Pakistan vows cooperation in fight against terror groups
Moments earlier, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson alluded to concerns that the country was providing safe haven to terrorist groups
Pakistan’s prime minister pledged his country’s cooperation in fighting Islamist militants during talks on Tuesday with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who insisted Pakistan do more to curb support for terrorist groups or face US reprisals.
“The US can rest assured that we are strategic partners in the war against terror and that today, Pakistan is fighting the largest war in the world against terror,” Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told Tillerson just before their closed-door talks began. Pakistan’s army and intelligence chiefs also attended the meeting.
Moments earlier, Tillerson alluded to US concerns that Pakistan is providing safe haven to terrorist groups – a charge Pakistan has repeatedly denied. At the same time, he described Pakistan as having an “important role” in the Trump administration’s strategy and referenced “our joint goals of providing peace and security to the region and providing opportunity for greater economic relationship.”
On Monday, during a brief and unannounced visit to Afghanistan, Tillerson struck a much harsher tone, saying he intended to make clear in his talks Tuesday that Pakistan’s relationship with the United States will suffer – including possible aid cuts – if it does not take specific actions to curb support for militant groups, including the Haqqani network, a Taliban affiliate.