U.S. President Barack Obama has made it clear to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that his country should not discriminate between terrorist groups, the White House said.
“One piece that was important to the President is that Pakistan [should] not discriminate against terrorist groups. That’s something that we’ve made clear in the past and was reiterated yesterday in the bilateral meeting,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz told reporters at his daily news conference on Friday.
According to officials here Pakistan only targeted terrorist groups that attacked the Pakistani State.
Mr. Obama met Mr. Sharif at the Oval Office on Thursday about 90 minutes.
“Obama underscored that the United States is committed to a broad, sustainable, and enduring partnership with Pakistan that delivers progress for the Pakistani people and reinforces Pakistan’s democracy and civil society,” he said.
“Specifically on terrorism President Obama and Prime Minister Sharif both noted that our two countries are threatened by terrorist groups, and that the Pakistani people have suffered greatly,” he added.
“These leaders committed to continue bilateral counterterrorism cooperation. Obama highlighted the importance of Pakistan undertaking effective action against terrorists that seek to undermine peaceful dialogue and destabilise the region,” Mr. Schultz said.
Mr. Sharif left for Pakistan on Friday after concluding his four-days of official trip to the US. The State Department described his visit as a successful.
“The visit overall highlighted our strong and growing relationship with Pakistan, and frankly, provided an opportunity to strengthen our cooperation on a range of issues,” State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner said.
“Obviously, first and foremost is security, but there are other issues of mutual interest, including cooperation on economic growth, trade, investment, clean energy, nuclear security, climate change, and regional stability,” he said.
