Trump wants to work with Pakistan: US official

LONDON: State Department's Spokesperson for South Asian Media Helaena White has said that Donald Trump’s criticism of Pakistan in his latest controversial speech is part of “integrated regional approach” the Republican administration has adopted for the South Asian region, focusing mainly on Afghanistan, India and Pakistan.

Speaking to The News here at the US Embassy about Trump’s harsh comments about Pakistan, Helaena White defended Trump’s new strategy about Pakistan and said that his approach was “reflective of conditions on the ground rather than based on a timeline." She said that Pakistan and America have enjoyed “durable and strong” relations for 70 years.

She said it was wrong to suggest that Donald Trump had blamed Pakistan for the Afghanistan situation. She said: “We are not blaming Pakistan. We acknowledge the sacrifices made by Pakistan in the War on Terror. We have high appreciation for Pakistan’s role. We know it very well that the people of Pakistan are victims of terrorism like the people of America.”

She said that Donald Trump’s administration wants to work with Pakistan “together for the peace and security of Afghanistan which will benefit the entire region.” She said that Trump’s new approach revolved around “protecting American interests” in the region and globally and the US president was being honest and open about it.

When asked about the unfortunate comments by Donald Trump that terrorist sanctuaries existed on Pakistani side of the border and that the Pakistani authorities didn’t take action against some terrorist groups, Helaena White said that “sanctuaries exist on both sides of the border. We want Pakistan to take decisive action against militant groups based in Pakistan that are a threat to the region”.

When told that Donald Trump’s comments have attracted massive criticism across the board in Pakistan, State Department’s spokesperson for South Asian said that the USA “was with the people of Pakistan as we have relations of 70 years. American people know that terrorists are a global problem and almost every country if affected by it and no single country can deal with this problem on its own, we all have to work together. In our opinion, situation in the whole region is affected by situation in Afghanistan. If we can secure peace in Afghanistan, it will mean stable and prosperous Pakistan.”

She said that Donald Trump’s government encourages India and Pakistan to resolve their differences through talks to reduce their tensions.

When told that Trump’s biased pro-India stance has caused tensions in the whole region and many countries like China and Russia have seen this with scepticism, Helaena White said that the US administration seeks diplomatic consensus for all countries in the region to work together towards core counterterrorism goals. She said there was no ambiguity that America wants to protected its global interests but believed that there are commons goals for which all countries can work together.

She acknowledged that Trump’s decision to stay in Afghanistan for an “indefinite” time was unexpected, she said that America has fought war in Afghanistan for 17 years and “this wasn’t a war of our choosing, we had no choice, we want that there should be no war in Afghanistan at all. Its our new strategy and there is no deadline involved. It all depends on the conditions for lasting security.”