WASHINGTON: The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo has put Pakidtan Nuclearassets proliferation as a threat to US National Security.
He has said that there are five big issues that threaten the Americansecurity and one of them is proliferation of Pakistan’s nuclear programme.
Counting the five threats the US is facing, while giving an interview to anAmerican radio broadcaster, the US secretary of state said: “It’s thethreat that we’ve talked about today from China, the nuclear proliferationrisk that extends from Pakistan, through all those folks who have theseweapon systems places like North Korea where they can sell these weapons. Ithink I’m at five already but I could give you a whole list of threats thatI think we can effect change on in a way that will really make a differencefor the security of the American people.”
He blamed Pakistan for providing safe havens to terrorists, adding that noother administration but the current administration had taken some actionagainst Pakistan on the issue. He said he personally took terrorism veryseriously because he had lost a lot of friends in the war against terror.
“Well we’ve taken actions … against Pakistan that no other administrationhas taken. … We need Pakistan to do more. They have to stop harboringthis terror. We saw what happened with India. The conflict that rose thereas a result of terrorist that departed from Pakistan. … They need to stopharboring terrorists.”
Pompeo said the US Administration has learnt a lot from the 9/11 terrorattack and put pressure on the Pakistan government to do more.
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Commenting on the recent conflict between Pakistan and India, the secretarysaid it was initiated because of the cross-border terrorism. He emphasisedon Pakistan to take further action against such terrorists and stopproviding alleged safe havens to them.
Replying to a question regarding the Taliban’s relationship with al-Qaedaand the recent talks with the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan, Pompeosaid he cannot say anything definite about the issue. He said the US isworking for final resolution of the issue in Afghanistan and trying to takesteps for political reconciliation.
Pompeo said that Zalmay Khalilzad went to Doha for talks and returnedyesterday, adding that there were some advancement in talks on the issue ofTaliban and the Afghan government. He said the US wanted both should talkto each other to resolve the issue.
