Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States has stressed the need for strengthening ties with Washington as a US delegation heads to Islamabad this week for talks on bilateral relations.
“It’s in Pakistan’s interest to strengthen ties with the United States. But people here need to understand that the United States too has benefited from good relations with Pakistan,” said Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry.
US Secretary of Defence James Mattis leaves for Islamabad later this week with a high-level delegation for talks on the new US strategy for South Asia, which seeks Pakistan’s support for defeating the Taliban.
Ambassador Chaudhry, while speaking at a dinner hosted for a visiting PFUJ delegation from Pakistan, insisted that Washington and Islamabad had the same goal in Afghanistan — defeating militancy.
Explaining the difference between Pakistani and US approaches, Mr Chaudhry said Washington believed in persuading the Taliban to join the reconciliation talks by beating them in the battlefield, while Islamabad suggested that “fight with those who fight you and engage those who want to talk”.
