As Ties Worsen, Pakistan Foreign Office Says No High-Level Contact With US

PM Hopes to Talk With US Officials During UN General Assembly Visit

US-Pakistan relations have been trending downward since President Trump’s speech on Afghanistan, in which he blamed Pakistan for giving “safe havens” to terrorists. This has fueled an angry back and forth, and some anti-US protests within Pakistan.

Despite these mounting concerns, Pakistan’s Foreign Office says there has been no high-level contact between the Pakistani government and the US government regarding their differences on the Afghan War, with the only real talks between the US Ambassador to Pakistan and the Pakistani National Security Adviser.

There don’t appear to be any specific plans for any meetings in the future, either, Despite President Trump admitting how important engagement with Pakistan was. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Abbasi is visiting the US for the annual UN General Assembly, and is hoping to meet with some administration officials.

The goal in such meetings, if indeed they happen, is to “allay misperceptions” about Pakistan’s treatment of the Taliban. US officials claim that Pakistan is supporting the Taliban, while Pakistani officials note that the Afghan Taliban have at least as many “safe havens” in Afghanistan, and the US has been no more successful at stamping out such areas than Pakistan has.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.