- Harkenrider says US informed Pakistan ahead of airstrike on Mullah Akhtar Mansour; says Pak-US relations are as good as they have ever been
- Says US supports CPEC as it will help improve the country’s economy
Outgoing US Consul General Zachary Harkenrider said on Monday that the US will support the democratic forces in Pakistan, and pointed out that it did not support the recent coup attempt in Turkey.
He was talking to a group of senior journalists and editors at the US Consulate’s residence in Lahore on Thursday.
When the session was opened for questions, he was asked if the US will support imposition of martial law in Pakistan as there has been no official statement from the US State Department on rumours making rounds in Pakistan of the possibility of a military takeover in the country, Harkenrider said the US has supported and will continue to support democratic process in Pakistan.
He was asked if relations between Pakistan and the US are strained at the moment after a US think tank report which called to review ties with Pakistan, the counsel general said that is the opinion of the think tank and is not the policy of the US government. “The State Department and Pentagon are on the same page regarding our ties with Pakistan. US’ relations with Pakistan are, in fact, as good right now as they have ever been,” he said, adding that this was clear from the fact that the US government told Pakistan about the airstrike on Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour in advance.
He said that the US had also killed Umar Naray, the Pakistani perpetrator of the APS Peshawar attack, in an airstrike as it wanted to cooperate with Pakistan in the fight against terrorism. He said it is also the responsibility of Pakistan not to make a distinction between good and bad Taliban.
He acknowledged Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif’s efforts in fighting terrorism and welcomed his recent statement in which he said that Pakistan will not allow its land to be used against any other country, but said that this policy needs to be further reflected in actions.
The consul general said the US is not against the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as it wants the country and the people to prosper. He said the energy corridor will help Pakistan improve its economy which the US welcomes. He said the US has also told China that it fully supports the CPEC project.
Consul General Zachary Harkenrider is leaving charge on July 30. His replacement Yurri Fedkiu will assume his office by August end.
