Omer Farooq Khan   

The US secretary of state Mike Pompeo who arrived in Pakistan on Wednesday, in his meetings with PM Imran Khan, Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi, reiterated the Trump administration’s demand that Islamabad take more tangible action against terror groups at home and in Afghanistan.

This was the first high-level visit from Washington since the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) assumed office after winning the country’s general elections in July. During his visit, the US secretary of state was accompanied by the US joint chief of staff chairman General Joseph Dunford.

Pompeo’s meetings with Pakistan’s top civilian and military leaders took place in the backdrop of deteriorating relations between the two countries. Several officials and opposition leaders had asked PM Khan to cancel the meeting, following the recent withdrawal of $300 million US aid to Pakistan. However, the military’s top command advised the PM otherwise, in view of the country’s economic and political stakes.

Pompeo told media persons on board Islamabad-bound flight that he wanted to reset the strained relations between the two countries. He recalled that the US and Pakistan had worked closely when he was CIA director. “The Trump administration has real expectations from Pakistan,” Pompeo remarked. “We need Pakistan to seriously engage to help us get to the reconciliation we need in Afghanistan,” he said.

When a journalist reminded Pompeo that his trip comes right after the announcement of scrapping of the $300 million military aid to Pakistan, he said Pakistan had been already told about it in the summer. “And the rationale for them not getting the money is very clear. It’s that we haven’t seen the progress that we need to see from them,” Pompeo said.

“There are lots of challenges for sure but we’re hopeful that with new leadership we can find a common ground and begin to work on some of our shared problems together,” he said. Pompeo said the very reason for this trip was to try and articulate what the US expectations were and what Pakistan could do. “And see if we can’t find a path forward together,” he added. “I’m hoping we can turn the page and begin to make progress,” he said.

Pompeo’s brief stopover in Pakistan before heading to India to negotiate and earmark major defence contracts has irked Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership. The foreign office said the Pompeo-Qureshi meeting that lasted for about 40 minutes, was focused on bilateral, regional and international issues. “FM Qureshi underscored the need to reset bilateral ties on basis of mutual trust and respect,” spokesperson Muhammad Faisal tweeted, adding that safeguarding Pakistan’s national interests will remain the supreme priority.

US secretary of state Pompeo with Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi

Courtesy: Times of India: 06 Sep 2018