Helping Pakistan deal with an “unquestionably challenging” economic situation is a top priority for the US, said US State Department Counsellor Derek Chollet.
Mr. Chollet also emphasized the importance of helping Islamabad combat terrorists, who had just slain over 80 people inside a mosque in Peshawar’s Police Lines compound, in an interview in Washington. Mr. Chollet, who handles special diplomatic missions for the US Secretary of State, is scheduled to visit Islamabad the following week for discussions on a variety of topics.
According to a senior US official, “For the US, it will be about how we can expand the cooperation and support Pakistan as it attempts to deal with what is obviously a hard economic position.”
Pakistan, he noted, was still recovering from the floods, and was also dealing with an “emerging counterterrorism threat”, which has made the situation even worse.
Mr. Chollet emphasized that efforts were already being made by the US and Pakistan to further strengthen their relationships, which had experienced a period of disengagement during the Afghan War but had quickly begun to improve following the withdrawal of US forces from Kabul.
The week after I return, I think the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) talks will take place in Washington during the final week of February. Next month, we will also host a counterterrorism dialogue, he added.
In order to enhance bilateral commerce, Pakistan and the United States signed the TIFA in June 2003. They made the decision to restart the TIFA process in March 2022 in order to increase trade and investment in both products and services.
The counterterrorism dialogue, which could take place in Islamabad the next month, will centre on organisations like TTP and IS-K, which have stepped up their operations in the area once more.
The idea that the US was turning its attention back to South Asia “because of its importance to American national interests, and because of its importance in the globe” was endorsed by Mr. Chollet.
Mr. Chollet is travelling to Bangladesh and Pakistan this week after Victoria Nuland, another State Department representative, visited Nepal, Sri Lanka, and India last week.
“It’s a signal of our desire to have stronger relations throughout the region, the importance we place on the countries of the region, the shared interests that we have, the shared challenges that we have to try to meet together,” Mr Chollet said. “As a result, I am eagerly anticipating my travels to Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Mr. Chollet stated that he would speak with Pakistani officials face-to-face in Islamabad to learn about their needs, what assistance the US and other countries may be needed for, and how their allies may help. However, the visit “is also to discuss the relationship’s larger direction and the path forward.” When asked if TTP posed a threat to US interests, he responded, “It does. Any type of terrorism, by any group, is condemned by the US. As a result, we think Pakistan and the US have an interest in stopping terror.
The statement that wherever terrorist activities started, it eventually resulted in “more instability, indiscriminate slaughter, and attacks on US interests as well” was another that he agreed with. “There are always things that we need to work on, difficulties that we need to work on together, whether it’s the shared impact of climate change, or other issues,” he said when asked if the US was concerned about the economic and security situation in the region.
Of course, “we’ll be following up on my trip from last year” in Pakistan. And the continued work we undertook in response to the floods. However, don’t forget to also discuss the joint prospects we have.
When pointed out that Pakistan was facing two significant problems—an anticipated economic collapse and terrorism—Mr. Chollet said that he had discussed these matters with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on the latter’s recent visit to Washington. And we’re keeping an eye on it with our Pakistani colleagues, and we want to try to support them in any way we can, he added.
