US sees Pakistan taking some positive steps in the right direction

The US expect Pakistan to do a lot more to overcome terrorism within the country and get Taliban to the table.

In the press briefing, the State Department Spokesperson Ms Heather Nauert said, "One of the things that the President has called for in his South Asia strategy is for Pakistan to take on greater responsibility for cracking down on terror groups. And we’ve certainly seen Pakistan take some positive steps in the right direction, but a lot more needs to be done, in terms of Pakistan cracking down not just on the Taliban, but the Haqqani Network and other terror networks as well."

Referring to the meeting of the US Vice President Mike Pence with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, she said the meeting took place on Friday last week. "They talked about the overall South Asia strategy, the administration’s South Asia strategy, and that’s one of the things that the Vice President addressed with him."

Ms Nauert said, "He (Mr Pence) said the Government of Pakistan has to do more to address the continued presence of terrorism in Pakistan. There’s a lot more that they can do, but they can also play a critical role in the – with the Taliban in getting the Taliban to come to the table in Pakistan."

Earlier, Mr Pence insisted Mr Abbasi that Pakistan "must do more" against the Taliban and other militants.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has offered recognition of the Taliban as a legitimate political group. He said it as part of a proposed political process that could lead to talks aimed at ending more than 16 years of war.

The offer, made at the start of an international conference aimed at creating a platform for peace talks, adds to a series of signals from both the Western-backed government and the Taliban suggesting a greater willingness to consider dialogue.

US Defence Secretary James Mattis met the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah a couple of days back. He assured Afghanistan of full support of the US to reconciliation process but the peace offer should not halt the need for aggressive offences on Taliban.