US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson described his recent meetings with Pakistan’s leadership as “a very healthy exchange of information on terrorists.”
He expressed hope that Pakistan would deliver on its commitment to eliminate militant safe havens along its porous border with Afghanistan.
Last week, Tillerson visited Islamabad to reiterate US President Donald Trump’s message to take action against the Taliban and the Haqqani network.
The US delegation, led by Tillerson, met Pakistan’s top brass and leaders, led by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.
Both sides exchanged a list of terrorists each finds detrimental to their national and regional interests, though their names have not been made public.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif told the Senate on Wednesday: “The Haqqani network was a priority on the list, but no terrorist conveyed (by the US) was a Pakistani.” The network was a major topic of discussion between the US and Pakistani delegations.
Tillerson told reporters in Geneva that what the US delegation gave Pakistan went “beyond just names of individuals.”
The US seeks “greater sharing” of intelligence, and expects “to receive information” that would be useful in targeting militants, “and the specific location on any given day of where certain individuals or certain cells may be located,” he said.
Asif said Tillerson was told that dialogue is imperative to achieving peace and stability in Afghanistan.
“There will only be room for improvement if Washington accepts its defeat, its failures in Afghanistan,” Asif told the Senate. “They’re not ready to accept this.”
Columnist and political analyst Shaghofta Akhter told Arab News: “The US feels Pakistan can do more to help peace and stability in the region. Whether Pakistan uses this as an opportunity to leverage extra goodwill from the US is a different matter.”
In Geneva, Tillerson conveyed the following message to Pakistan: “You can do it, or you can decide not to do it. And if you decide you don’t want to do it, just let us know. We’ll adjust our plans accordingly, and we’ll deal with it ourselves.”
Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US, Husain Haqani, told Arab News: “The US acknowledges Pakistan’s past role as a Cold War ally… and wants a stable Afghanistan. The US wants Islamabad’s support in that goal, and while it wants to maintain friendship with Pakistan, it will not ignore India’s stature as the principal American ally in Asia.”
He added: “The US-Pakistan relationship has been drifting for a long time. At its heart is the US view that Pakistan doesn’t keep its promises, and the Pakistani view that Americans don’t understand Pakistan’s concerns about India. The relationship will either move forward on America’s terms or come to a standstill.”
Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria on Friday said Islamabad has provided evidence to regional stakeholders of “Indian involvement in terrorism.” India rejects Pakistan’s accusations in this regard.
Islamabad has also voiced concern over the US providing India with drone technology. “Such transfers… definitely violate the spirit of the control regimes, which are aimed at controlling the proliferation of destabilizing weapons systems,” said Zakaria.
The US has promised to address Pakistan’s concerns over Indian cease-fire violations, as well as the disputed region of Kashmir.
“India…will always sabotage US-Pakistan relations,” said Akhter. “It’s in Pakistan’s best interest to maintain dialogue with the US, otherwise it will risk a very hard-line approach that India will exploit. Pakistan needs to tread very carefully as India is closely monitoring its every move.”

Source:Arabnews