PESHAWAR - Pakistan has acknowledged its relations with the United States have been strained on the issue of support for the Haqqani network, blamed for attacks in Afghanistan.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said US officials, Congress, think-tanks and media had been blaming Pakistan for supporting the Haqqanis.
However, the Americans had failed to provide Pakistan with any concrete evidence to enable it to take more action against the terrorist organisation, Aziz said, hitting out at the Indian lobby in the US for campaigning against his country.
Speaking in the Senate on Thursday, the advisor conceded the Taliban’s spring offensive and the latest terrorist attack in Kabul had further aggravated the already bleak security situation in Afghanistan.
Islamabad had been urging the US and Afghanistan to give the reconciliation process a fair chance and more time, the diplomat said, explaining that action could be taken against irreconcilable elements if negotiations failed.
“We hope to discuss these issues in detail during an upcoming meeting of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group in Islamabad on May 18 and 19,” the foreign policy chief told lawmakers. (Pajhwok)