US out to mend ties with Pakistan

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo heads to Islamabad to meet new Prime Minister Imran Khan and ‘reset’ relations with the republic.

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he was hoping to “reset the relationship” with Pakistan ahead of a trip to Islamabad to meet with new Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Speaking on a plane ahead of a trip to South Asia, Pompeo also announced that Zalmay Khalilzad, a high profile former US ambassador, had been named to a new role to lead peace efforts in Afghanistan.

Pompeo’s conciliatory remarks toward the South Asian giant come days after Washington confirmed plans to cancel US$ 300mil (RM1.24bil) in military aid over Islamabad’s lack of “decisive actions” in support of American strategy in the region.

But the former CIA director, who is making his first visit as his nation’s top diplomat to the wayward ally whose support is vital in the long-running Afghan conflict, said it was time to “turn the page”.

“So first stop – Pakistan. New leader there, wanted to get out there at the beginning of his time in an effort to reset the relationship between the two countries,” he said.

“There are lot of challenges between our two nations for sure but we’re hopeful that with the new leadership that we can find common ground and we can begin to work on some of our shared problems together,” added Pompeo, who will be joined by General Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

US officials accuse Islamabad of ignoring or even collaborating with groups such as the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network which attack Afghanistan from safe havens along the border between the two countries.

The White House believes that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency and other military bodies have long helped fund and arm the Taliban for ideological reasons, but also to counter rising Indian influence in Afghanistan.

It also believes that a Pakistani crackdown could be pivotal in deciding the outcome of the long-running war in Afghanistan.

But Pompeo suggested that the election of Khan, who has vowed to seek better relations with the US, could provide a fresh impetus.