WASHINGTON:Amid upsurge in the terrorist attacks in Pakistan, the UnitedStates has said that Pakistan will continue to be its “stalwart partner” inthe fight against terrorism.
“We’ve talked in recent days about our commitment to stand with Pakistan inthe face of these security threats,” Ned Prince, the State Departmentspokesperson, said in response to a question from a Pakistani journalist,who pleaded for help to Pakistan which is now being hit by terrorists withincreasing frequency.
The journalist had pointedly asked whether Washington would provide anyhelp to Pakistan, an ally which stood by for 20 years in the war on terror,losing 75,000 people in the process.
The remarks by Price, the State Department spokesperson, came Tuesday inthe wake of the recent Peshawar Police Lines terrorist attack that killedover 100 people.
But Price, the State Department spokesperson, side-stepped the questionabout the U.S. aid, saying, “Of course, this is – any terrorist attack issomething that we condemn with the utmost vociferousness. But this attackresulted in the deaths of scores of innocent civilians as well as publicservants, individuals who had dedicated their lives to protecting theirfellow Pakistani citizens,”
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“This is a scourge that affects Pakistan, it affects India, it affectsAfghanistan. It is something that we’re focused on throughout the entireregion. When it comes to Pakistan, they’re an important partner of theUnited States and a partner in any number of ways. We’ve talked in recentdays about our commitment to stand with Pakistan in the face of thesesecurity threats,” he said.
“Pakistan will continue to be a stalwart partner of the United States andvice versa in the face of these types of horrific terrorist attacks,” Priceadded.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who recently visited Washington,had said that Pakistan and the US would soon hold counter-terrorism talks.