The United States on Wednesday said it hoped Pakistan would “come to the table and assist the US” in combating terrorism.
Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Steve Goldstein’s comments come days after US President Donald Trump claimed that Pakistan had given his country nothing but “lies and deceit” in return for $33 billion (Rs 2.10 lakh crore) in aid over the past 15 years.
On January 4, the United States said it was suspending security assistance to the Pakistani military and demanded “decisive action” against Taliban factions based in the country. Pakistan will not receive almost $1.3 billion (Rs 8,238 crore) in annual aid.
Soon after, media reports said Pakistan had decided to suspend all military and intelligence cooperation with the US, PTI reported.
Replying to a question on how Pakistan reacted, Goldstein said the US was “ready to work with Pakistan”. “We hope to be able to renew and deepen our bilateral security relationship when Pakistan demonstrates its willingness to aggressively confront the Taliban network, the Haqqani Network, and other terrorist and military groups that operate from its territory,” he said.
Goldstein clarified that the US had only “suspended” and not “cut off” the aid to Pakistan. “No funds have been reprogrammed, and we’re hopeful for future cooperation from Pakistan,” he said.
Earlier this week, China defended Pakistan, saying it did not believe in linking countries with terrorism. The rift between the US and Pakistan has been widening in the past few months.
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