US ties ‘reset’
Shift in tone comes days after Washington confirmed plans to cancel $300m in military aid
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met new Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan yesterday, saying he was hopeful of “a reset of relations” long strained over the war in Afghanistan. Pompeo met with Imran and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and the army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he was “hopeful” yesterday of resetting the troubled relationship with Pakistan, a key player in the Afghan conflict, after cordial meetings in Islamabad including with new premier Imran Khan.
The shift in tone comes days after Washington confirmed plans to cancel $300 million (Dh1.1 billion) in military aid, and was echoed by Imran, who voiced his optimism at a fresh start in ties between the wayward allies.
The former CIA director, making his first visit as top US diplomat to Pakistan, told pool reporters shortly before leaving Islamabad that the “broad spectrum” of topics discussed included efforts “to develop a peaceful resolution in Afghanistan”.
“I’m hopeful that the foundation that we laid today will set the conditions for continued success,” he said — though he added there was a “long way to go” before Washington would resume military assistance.
Safe havens
US officials accuse Islamabad of ignoring or even collaborating with groups such as the Afghan Taliban and the 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 both for ideological reasons and to counter rising Indian influence in Afghanistan. It believes a Pakistani crackdown on the militants could be pivotal in deciding the outcome of the long-running war in Afghanistan. Islamabad has long denied the claims.
‘Time to turn the page’
But Pompeo said ahead of the trip that it was time to “turn the page” and suggested that the election of Imran, who has vowed to seek better relations with the US, could provide a fresh impetus.
Imran and his foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi were also positive, according to pool reports.
“A sportsman always is an optimist,” the former cricketer, who captained Pakistan to World Cup victory in 1992, was quoted as saying when asked about finding a new way forward with Washington. “He steps on the field and he thinks he’s going to win.”
Qureshi, meanwhile, described his meeting with Pompeo as “excellent”.
Pompeo, who was later joined by General Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had also been scheduled to meet Pakistan’s powerful army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.