Small Wars Journal

Pompeo Says U.S., Pakistan Have Long Way to Go to Repair Ties

Thu, 09/06/2018 - 12:13am

Pompeo Says U.S., Pakistan Have Long Way to Go to Repair Ties by Saeed Shah and Nancy A. Youssef – Wall Street Journal

ISLAMABAD - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. and Pakistan have still got a long way to go to reset troubled ties after a visit in which he sought Islamabad’s help in ending the war in Afghanistan.

Relations have soured amid differences over Afghanistan, the presence of militants on Pakistani soil, Washington’s burgeoning relationship with India and Pakistan’s ever-closer ties with China.

The two sides didn’t reach any concrete agreements during the five-hour visit to Pakistan’s capital on Wednesday, but Mr. Pompeo said there were “a lot more discussions to be had” as he boarded a flight to India after meeting with Pakistan’s new leaders.

“We need to begin to do things that will actually on the ground deliver outcomes so that we can build confidence and trust. That was the focus,” he said.

Washington has long accused Pakistan of providing sanctuary to the Afghan Taliban and other jihadist groups, a charge Islamabad denies.

However, Washington has recently shifted its focus from fighting the Taliban to wanting to forge a peace deal. Pakistan and new Prime Minister Imran Khan have consistently called for a political settlement with the Taliban that would give the group a share of the government in Afghanistan…

Read on.