Describing as “very constructive” the resumption of the India-Pakistan dialogue, the US has said it is important that the two countries continue cooperation on multiple fronts, including counterterrorism. “We said last week and continue to say that dialogue between India and Pakistan is a very constructive one,” US State Department spokesman Mark Toner told the media. He said it is important that he dialogue continues. “We want to see cooperation on many fronts, including counter-terrorism, between the two countries,” he added.
The US, Toner said on Friday, has engaged with Pakistani government at high levels, from the Secretary of State to the Central Investigation Agency director, to address some of the difficult issues, but also to say that the US is committed to working with Islamabad in a constructive way on counter-terrorism. “Pakistan, as we’ve said many, many times, is touched by — in a significant, profound way — the threat of terrorism. They’ve lost a lot of people to terrorism in Pakistan.”
Responding to questions, Toner said no date has been set for the next round of the US-Pakistan strategic dialogue, but the two countries are carrying out talks at multiple levels. “I don’t believe there’s any date for the next plenary session of the strategic dialogue. It has yet to be scheduled. We have high-level engagement with Pakistan, as well as the substantive working groups continue to meet as well,” he said. “In fact, on July 5, our Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement William Brownfield will be in Islamabad to lead the strategic dialogue working group meeting on counter-terrorism and law enforcement with his Pakistani counterparts. So while there has been no date set yet for the plenary, the working groups do continue to meet on a regular basis,” he said.
