Notwithstanding the highly critical comment coming from Islamabad on their relationship, the U.S. has said that it remains engaged with Pakistan and the war against terrorism and extremism.
“We remain engaged with Pakistan in the struggle against terrorism and extremism. Our counter-terrorism efforts are critical to that progress,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters.
Toner was responding to questions about sharp reaction from Pakistan that it doesn’t agree with the White House’s assessment on it, which was sent by U.S. President Barack Obama to the Congress this week.
“We do not share the assessment of the U.S. All the references to Pakistan are unwarranted,” a spokeswoman of Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in Islamabad on Thursday.
The US is trying to help work with Pakistan to build their institutions and strengthen their democracy in order to create a better, more prosperous future for the Pakistani people, Mr. Toner said.
“We have talked a lot from this podium and elsewhere about the challenges that Pakistan faces, indeed the existential threats from terrorism that Pakistan faces, and the need to confront those threats,” he said.
“We are trying to work with them in a cooperative fashion to tackle those challenges,” Mr. Toner said in response to a question.
