Imran-Pompeo call dispute: Pakistan wants to ‘move on’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided not to take further the issue of telephonic conversation between Prime Minister Imran Khan and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and said it would like the “episode to end”, the Foreign Office said Thursday.

“We would want the episode to end. Politically we need to move on,” Foreign Office Spokesman Muhammad Faisal said at the weekly press briefing to a question on the reports that the US State Department had shared the transcript of the call with Pakistan.

Earlier, Pakistan had rejected the statement issued by the State Department which said that “Secretary Pompeo raised the importance of Pakistan taking decisive action against all terrorists operating in Pakistan and its vital role in promoting the Afghan peace process”.

The Spokesman said Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had also commented on the issue and there was the need for Pakistan and the United States to “politically move on”.

On upcoming visit of Mike Pompeo to Islamabad on September 5, he said all issues of bilateral interests would be taken up.

On Foreign Minister Qureshi’s statement who said that “the interest of the United States would be watched”, the Spokesman said, “We try to satisfy them that their interest would be watched within the perspective of safeguarding our own interests”.

On Pak-India relations and resumption of trade, the Spokesman said efforts were afoot to narrow down the wide gulf that exists between Pakistan and India, adding that opening of Kartarpura Corridor could be one of the moves in this regard.

However, he said, the issue could not be considered in isolation and emphasized that any move for peace would ensure tranquility on the Line of Control and Working Boundary and resolution of all outstanding issues.

“The road could be difficult, but I can assure you that both India and Pakistan have to take this journey,” he said.