WASHINGTON – A senior State Department official has gone on record tostate that the United States was not thinking of cutting ties with Pakistan.

In an interview with Voice of America (VOA), Acting State Department Southand Central Asia Assistant Secretary Alice Wells said the US consideredPakistan essential to cracking the Afghan imbroglio.

Wells, also the acting special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan,said it should not be assumed that the US was considering cutting ties withIslamabad with regard to recent developments. “On the contrary, we arebacking Pakistan against all militant groups.”

When asked about a new strategy if ties frayed further, the US diplomatmaintained that ‘Pakistan was pivotal to stability in Afghanistan’.

Shedding light on the United States’ South Asia strategy, she said it waspremised on working with Pakistan to ensure the latter’s interests weresecured through talks.