ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has told the United States that it had done enoughagainst terror and being ‘on notice’ was unfair, diplomatic sources said.
Senior officials at the foreign ministry told The Nation that Pakistan hadcontacted the US and protested after Bureau of South and Central AsianAffairs Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Alice Wells’ statement thatPakistan was still ‘on notice’.
One official said: “We have told the US that Pakistan had done enoughagainst terrorism and it deserved medals rather than notices.” He added:“Washington has appreciated Pakistan’s role against terrorism but repeatedthe ‘do more’ mantra.”
Earlier, Wells said Pakistan was still on notice on the question of takingdecisive action against terror outfits. She asked Pakistan to work towardselimination of all terrorist sanctuaries from its territory.
In an official testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee,Ambassador Wells said the US expects “unequivocal cooperation” in endingthe sanctuaries of Taliban in Pakistan.
“Pakistan is on notice that we expect its unequivocal cooperation endingsanctuaries that the Taliban have enjoyed since the remnants of theirtoppled regime fled into Pakistan in 2001,” she said but added thatPakistan can play an important role in the Afghan peace process.
Well’s statement came after Pak-US relation showed signs of improvement.This month, Pakistan and the US agreed to jointly achieve common targets ofpeace and stability in Afghanistan and the region.
On June 7, US Vice president Mike Pence telephoned Caretaker Prime MinisterNasirul Mulk to discuss the bilateral ties and the regional situation. Boththe leaders agreed to further strengthen bilateral relations between thetwo countries. They also agreed to achieve joint targets of peace andstability in Afghanistan, an official statement said.
On the same day, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo telephoned Chief of ArmyStaff Qamar Javed Bajwa and sought Pakistan’s cooperation in politicalreconciliation in Afghanistan.
Although there was no official word from the military about the telephonicinteraction, yet officials said that Pompeo and Bajwa discussed the needfor political reconciliation in Afghanistan.
The US has stepped up efforts seeking political reconciliation inAfghanistan after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced a ceasefire withthe Taliban ahead of Eidul Fitr celebrated on June 16.
US State Department said Pompeo, who was the head of Central IntelligenceAgency before his appointment as secretary of state, discussed “advancingUS-Pakistani relations and the need for political reconciliation inAfghanistan.”
Only last month, the two countries had imposed tit-for-tat travelrestrictions on each other’s diplomats suggesting a new low in theirtroubled ties.