WASHINGTON: The United States (US) says Pakistan has an opportunity to domore to fight terrorism.
“With respect to Pakistan, we believe that Pakistan can do more to combatterrorism. This is an inflection point and this is an opportunity andPakistan has an opportunity to do more,” Chief Pentagon Spokesperson DanaWhite told reporters at her weekly news conference.
She said that Pakistan had been the victim of terrorism. “So, we’ll lookforward to continuing to work with them to see where there areopportunities,” she added.
When asked about the Taliban having offered for peace talks, thespokesperson said Washington’s goal was to help the Afghan Security Forcesbecome capable enough to ensure that the violence ends.
“The Taliban has to abandon terror, it has to abandon violence and it hasto support the Afghan constitution. Then, they have to come to the table.And that is, ultimately, for the people of Afghanistan to come to anultimate political resolution,” she said.
On Feb 27, US Army General Joseph Votel, head of the U.S. military’sCentral Command, said the US is seeing some “positive indicators” fromPakistan showing it is becoming more responsive to US concerns aboutalleged militant safe havens in the country but Islamabad has yet to make astrategic shift.
“We are now beginning to see very positive indicators that they are movingin the right direction,” he said.
“It does not yet equal the decisive action that we would like to see themtake in terms of a strategic shift, but they are positive indicators,”Votel told a hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives. – Agencies