‘Terrorist proxies, separatism against Pakistan not to find US support’

ISLAMABAD: US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Ambassador Alice Wells on Tuesday said the United States respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan and would never support terrorist proxies or separatism against it.

She was responding to a question about India using the Afghan soil to create insurgency in Pakistan, at a media interaction at the US Embassy here. Ambassador Wells, who arrived here on Monday on a two-day visit, met key officials including finance adviser, foreign secretary, interior secretary and the army chief to discuss the bilateral agenda and regional security, including joint efforts to advance the Afghan peace process.

When comments on reports of Indian funding to Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement were sought, Ambassador Wells said the US did not support any separatist or irredentist movement. “It is critical that the nations of this region respect each other and work to achieve peace and economic growth,” she said. Under the FinancialAction Task Force plan, she expressed the hope that Pakistan would make efforts to meet the specific requirements including identification of high-risk threats in society and denying them the ability to raise fund and organise.

She said the US had been actively working with Pakistan to combat terrorism, whether it was Al Qaeda or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. “Any terrorist attacking Pakistan is an enemy of ours. We share very strong counter-terrorism objective in defeating extremist forces,” she stressed.

On implementation of National Action Plan (NAP), she said the steps briefed by the Pakistan government to the diplomatic community were positive regarding the detention of leaders of proscribed groups and seizure of assets. “We certainly believe what peace brings economic growth and stability, which conforms to the prime minister’s agenda of Naya Pakistan aspiring development,” she said.

She welcomed PM Imran Khan’s statements underscoring his government’s commitment to moving away from non-state actors by forging the NAP and said Pakistan’s future course required that the state itself controlled all means of force.

Talking about the UNSC’s deadlock on proscribing Maulana Masood Azhar following China’s veto, she said the US believed that designation of terrorists should be technical in nature. “We encourage the parties to move forward and reaffirm the centrality of UN’s role in designating terrorists.”

On US concerns over the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Ambassador Wells said the US welcomed the development; however, it believed that infrastructure and investment needed to meet international standards, with transparency and sustainability.

She said their apprehensions were not Pakistan-specific, as the US had also expressed voice with regard to other countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. Ambassador Wells, who accompanied the US Special Representative on Afghanistan Peace Zalmay Khalilzad during his meetings with officials in Islamabad, said Pakistan would benefit more than any other country if peace came to this region.

She welcomed the support of Government of Pakistan for bringing Afghans together for peace dialogue, adding that the prime minister’s recent strong statement in support of reduction of violence in Afghanistan was encouraging.

To a question about India’s lukewarm response to Pakistan’s peace efforts, Wells said regional disputes hindered the ability of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) to play an effective role in the region’s prosperity and growth.

“The US welcomes Prime Minister Imran Khan’s open desire for better relations with India,” she added. On Kashmir issue, she said, “We support efforts by Pakistan and India, but it is up to them to pace up discussions.”

Ambassador Wells rejected the impression of receding Pak-US trade ties and said, “Our trade relationship is extremely healthy, as we remain Pakistan’s largest export market with bilateral trade reached at the highest level with US6.6 billion US and Pakistani exports increased by four percent.”

She termed freedom of expression a vital part of democracy, quoting example of her country where press and activists could express opinion freely as a check on abuse of power and a mirror that can be held up to government practices.