US secretary of state Rex Tillerson gets frosty welcome in Islamabad
US secretary of state Rex Tillerson got a frosty welcome to Pakistan after Washington turned up the heat on Islamabad for allegedly providing “safe havens” for Taliban militants. Mr Tillerson was quietly greeted by a mid-level Pakistani foreign office official and the US ambassador David Hale at the military airport in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, a welcome that, while marked with smiles, was devoid of the pomp that usually accompanies high-level visits.
It was followed by a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi during which the latter told Mr Tillerson that Pakistan was committed to the “war on terror.”
Mr Abbasi added that Pakistan had “produced results” fighting the militants in the region.
Pak-US relations have frayed in recent years, with Washington accusing Islamabad of turning a blind eye or helping Afghan Taliban and Haqqani network militants who stage attacks in Afghanistan. Pakistan denies doing so.
President Donald Trump has vowed to get tough with Pakistan unless it changed its behavior, with US officials threatening further reductions in aid.
Mr Tillerson, on a tour of Asia and the Middle East, arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday and met with Abbasi, as well as Pakistan’s powerful army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa.