US seeks strong partnership with Pakistan on counterterrorism: State Department

The second round of the US-Pakistan Mid-Level Defence Dialogue is taking place in Washington and will carry on till Thursday

The US seeks a strong partnership with Pakistan on counterterrorism, the State Department has said, underlining that America looks forward to cooperative efforts to eliminate regional and global terrorists and other security threats.

The second round of the US-Pakistan Mid-Level Defence Dialogue is taking place here and will last from Monday to Thursday. The first round was held in Pakistan in January 2021.

The Pakistani team is headed by the Chief of General Staff (CGS) Lt Gen Mohammed Saeed. The delegation will interact with their counterparts at the US Defence Department.

Also Read | Pakistani forces kill high-profile TTP militant in Punjab province

The CGS heads the second most influential office in the Pakistan Army after the Chief of Army Staff (COAS). He is the administrative head of both the intelligence and operational forces of Pakistan.

“It is an opportunity to continue those discussions and to deepen partnership towards those ends,” State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at a news conference here on Monday.

“We seek a strong partnership with Pakistan on counterterrorism. We look forward to cooperative efforts to eliminate regional and global terrorists and other security threats,” Price added.

The United States maintains a dialogue with Pakistan on a broad range of issues.

Also Read | Pakistan must set its house in order: Global experts on its economic crisis

“We maintain productive engagement with our Pakistani partners at all levels of government, and we have a shared interest in combating what are, in some cases, shared threats to regional security and to the security of our respective countries,” he said in response to a question.

Meanwhile, it is understood that Counsellor of the US Department of State Derek Chollet will lead a US delegation to Bangladesh and Pakistan from February 14-18 to meet with senior government officials, civil society members, and business leaders to highlight the importance of the two countries' bilateral partnership and reaffirm shared goals.

In Bangladesh, the delegation will meet with senior Bangladeshi officials to discuss coordination and response to the Rohingya refugee crisis, strengthening cooperation in international fora, and advancing the security partnership between the United States and Bangladesh, a media release said.

In Pakistan, the delegation will meet with senior officials to discuss strengthening economic ties, cooperating to address the impacts of the climate crisis, and expanding the people-to-people connections between the United States and Pakistan, it said.

“The delegation will also reaffirm the strong security cooperation between our nations. Counselor Chollet will convey US condolences for the recent terrorist attack at a Peshawar mosque, and reaffirm our solidarity with the Pakistani people as they continue to recover from the devastating 2022 floods,” the State Department said.