US Secretary of State hints at restoring aid to Pakistan

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Islamabad on Wednesday ahead of his India trip hoping to reset the strained relationship with Pakistan. He hinted at restoring counter-terror aid to the neighbouring country, provided it took decisive steps against terrorists operating from its soil. For the second successive year, the visit of an US Secretary of State under Trump administration has begun from Pakistan. The US is also seeking Islamabad’s support for its reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan.

“First stop Pakistan, a new leader there. I wanted to get out there at the beginning of his time in an effort to reset the relationship between the two countries... There are lots of challenges between the two nations, but we’re hopeful that with new leadership we can find common ground and begin to work on some of our shared problems together. They have expressed goodfaith intention to do so,” Pompeo told reporters en route to Islamabad.

In his meetings in Islamabad, Pompeo and his hosts discussed ways to reset ties. “FM Qureshi underscores the need to reset bilateral ties on the basis of mutual trust and respect,” Pak foreign office spokesperson Muhammad Faisal tweeted, adding: “Safeguarding Pakistan’s national interests will remain supreme priority.”

“We need Pakistan to seriously engage to help us get to the reconciliation we need in Afghanistan… We need their help,” suggested Pompeo.

When asked about aid returning back to Pakistan, he said: “I think the answer is probably yes... It’s that we haven’t seen the progress that we need to see from them... I am confident we’ll present to the President the rationale for that...”

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In New Delhi, Pompeo and his Indian counterpart would deliberate on counter-terror partnership and new designations against terror operatives.

When asked about Indo-US discussion on Thursday about waivers for Russian S-400 and Iranian oil, Pompeo indicated that while these issues are on the agenda, they do not define structural elements of the Indo-US partnership. “They will certainly come up, but I don’t think they’ll be the primary focus. There are half a dozen things on the agenda. They are about things that are big and strategic and will go on for 20, 40, 50 years. Those are the kinds of topics that Secretary Mattis and I are hoping to address.”