The US State Department has said that Pakistan has a civilian government that was democratically elected which is the primary interlocutor for Pakistan and US ties.
During the regular State Department press briefing on Monday, Spokesperson Ned Price was asked if he could share details of Pakistan Army Chief General Bajwa’s visit to Washington, D.C, and his tenure.
Ned Price said Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman did have an opportunity to meet with the chief of the army staff. The US value longstanding cooperation with Pakistan.
The US has a number of shared interests with Pakistan, including security, economic, people-to-people ties, and connections as well. Adding to that he said, “I am just not going to speak to it. Of course, Pakistan has a civilian government that is democratically elected, and that is our primary interlocutor.”
The stability and the future of Afghanistan, of the Afghan people, and the security challenges that the region and potentially beyond face there always included on the agenda when the US has high-level engagements with Pakistani counterparts, the spokesperson added.
“We meet with and speak with them regularly on a range of issues. But as is standard practice, we don’t delve into the details of those engagements always.”
On the question regarding massive corruption and looting of relief items reports in Pakistan, Ned Price said
“This is something we take very seriously, not only in Pakistan but anywhere around the world where American taxpayer dollars are implicated and when there is an urgent humanitarian interest at stake, which is clearly the case, in terms of the response to the flooding in Pakistan,” he said.
He added “USAID partners are working with local organizations that have extensive knowledge about the affected areas and their populations. We also are required to provide regular program updates on the progress of activities and any security concerns, and we require them – our partners – to immediately report any potential diversions, seizures, or losses immediately. So this is something we take very seriously.”
