Updated on
Summary The US has urged Pakistan and Afghanistan to take steps for checking cross-border incidents.
The spokesperson of the US State Department, Victoria Nuland on Tuesday called upon both Pakistan and Afghanistan to strive for increased cooperation, in order to be able to check terrorist activities in each others territory on the border. At least 13 Pakistani soldiers were killed by terrorists - believed to have crossed border into Pakistani side from Afghanistan - in an attack over the weekend in Pakistani tribal area.You won’t be surprised that our pitch will be, again, for increased cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan on these terrorist issues, working together through the core group in a trilateral way – NATO, ISAF, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, she said. They should try to deal with terrorism on both sides of the border, and it speaks to why we’ve got to get back on track in our own counter-terrorism cooperation with Pakistan, she added.When asked whether the US would support Pakistan soldiers crossing over the border against these militants in Afghanistan, she adopted a cautious approach. Both sides need to respect sovereignty, territorial integrity, but they need to work together in how they’re each going to deal with the problems on their own sides of the border, and I think there are frustrations on both sides by the sound of it, she remarked.On a question about contacts with the new Prime Minister in Pakistan, after the formation of the new government in Pakistan, the spokesperson declined to comment whether there had been any ambassadorial-level contact with the new prime minister. As you know, we’ve been working with the Pakistani Government all along, she said while referring to the announcement of ISAF commander, Gen. John Allens impending visit to Pakistan.We want to – now that there is a declared successor – be able to move on together and to continue to work on strengthening not only our political and economic relationship, but our counterterrorism relationship and get back on track there, she believed and stressed that the US administration would continue to try to keep those channels open and do what we can to improve the situation.On a separate note, Ms. Nuland said that the US was aware of the arrest of Abu Jandal, who is believed to be behind the Mumbai terrorist attacks in India in 2008. We obviously have long supported and called for the arrest and prosecution and conviction of all of those responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, because we lost six of our own, she recalled.When queried whether the US was thinking about sending in a team for questioning or seeking access to Abu Jandal from India since six U.S. nationals were also killed in the Mumbai terrorist attack, she declined to divulge any details. I don’t have anything on that for you one way or the other. I’m sorry, she firmly said.On another question regarding the upcoming talks between India and Pakistan and whether the U.S. was playing any role in it, she said the US was supportive of the process. We encourage both India and Pakistan to continue to strengthen and deepen the dialogue that they have with each other, she maintained.They’ve made good progress together in the last 18 months on economic issues, and we’re hopeful that that kind of increasing trust can be built on in other areas, she said while talking about the recent steps taken by the South Asian neighbours, India and Pakistan, for bringing about improvement in bilateral relations.She was also asked about an attack on a news channel in Karachi by TTP militants a day ago, but was unaware of any details. Other than decrying terrorism in all its forms, I don’t have anything particular, she opined.- Contributed by Awais Saleem, Dunya News correspondent in Washington, DC
