ISLAMABAD – Pakistan is an important ally of the United States when itcomes to maintaining peace and security in South Asia, said US CentralCommand (CENTCOM) chief Gen. Joseph Votel on Friday.
According to details, General Joseph also said that in order to ensurepeace prevailed in Afghanistan, it was important that the strategy to bringthe Taliban to the table be implemented speedily.
“We are very busily implementing our South Asia strategy, which is designedto bring the Taliban to the reconciliation table and end this very, verylengthy conflict (in Afghanistan),” he said.
He was saying this at a teleconference at the US State Department’s DubaiRegional Media Hub. Votel conceded that the United States has had itsdifferences with Pakistan over the years.
“We have had our differences with Pakistan over the years on this, butPakistan remains absolutely critical to the solution of the problem inAfghanistan,” he said.
In response to a question he acknowledged that Pakistan had sufferedsetbacks and rendered sacrifices in the War On Terror.
“There are very few countries that have suffered more from terrorism, orsacrificed more in fighting terrorism, than Pakistan.”
Terming the Afghanistan conflict an ‘extraordinary situation’, Votel saidthat armies of both countries were working closely to improve collaboration.
“We are working very closely in our military-to-military chains, and inother venues, to improve our collaboration and our support back and forthin what is an extraordinarily complex situation,” he said.
Pakistan and the United States have been trading barbs ever since PresidentDonald J. Trump accused its Asian ally of harbouring militants in his firstever tweet of 2018.