WASHINGTON: The United States says it expects Islamabad to take actionagainst alleged terrorists sanctuaries inside Pakistan, a top Americandiplomat has said.
Deputy secretary of state John J Sullivan, who recently returned from avisit to Afghanistan, said the US also expects Pakistan to contribute to alasting and enduring peace in the region.
“That was certainly part of my conversations with the Afghan leadership,”Sullivan said in a briefing with reporters on his return, according toPress Trust of India.
“We have made clear to the Pakistani government our expectations for themto take action against terrorists that are in sanctuaries in Pakistan, toreduce the pressure and the threat of violence in Afghanistan,” he said.
He met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, chief executive AbdullahAbdullah, foreign minister Salahuddin Rabbani and other government leadersduring the visit.
“During each of these meetings, Afghanistan’s leadership made it clear tome that despite the recent tragic events, the Afghan government willcontinue to work to create the necessary conditions to bring the Taliban tothe negotiating table, and establish an environment for a sustained piece,”Sullivan said.
“We applaud this conviction, as the path to peace and reconciliation mustbe an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process, as we have laid out in thepresident’s South Asian strategy,” he said.
Sullivan rued that despite everyone wanting peace at this stage, theTaliban still seemed unwilling to come to the negotiation table.
“The Taliban’s reprehensible attacks targeting innocent civiliansdemonstrate that they are not ready to enter into good faith peacenegotiations,” Sullivan said.