The United States wants Pakistan to move quickly to show good faith in supporting efforts to counter militants operating in Afghanistan and in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table, Alice Wells, acting assistant secretary of state for South Asia, said on Friday.
Speaking after accompanying US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on a visit to the region, including Pakistan, Wells said Washington looked forward to seeing practical steps from Pakistan “over the next few weeks and months.”
Wells said Pakistan’s long-standing relationships with militant organisations was a threat to its own stability and said the Taliban leadership and the allied Haqqani network still retained the ability to plan and recuperate and reside with their families in Pakistan.
She said Washington wanted Pakistan to show the same commitment it had made to defeat militant groups domestically to those threatening Afghanistan or India. “It’s up to them whether or not they want to work with us,” Wells said. “And if they don’t … then we’ll adjust accordingly.”
Wells declined to elaborate on what action the United States might take or what specific actions it wanted Pakistan to take.
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