Pence thanks Abbasi for safe recovery of hostages

ISLAMABAD: US Vice-President Mike Pence on Wednesday telephoned Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and thanked the Pakistan government and praised the professionalism of the army and intelligence agencies for the swift response and safe recovery of the US national Caitlin Coleman, her husband Joshua Boyle and their three children.

Pence reaffirmed the importance of bilateral relations and said the US would like to further build the relationship for peace and prosperity of the region.

Re-affirming Pakistan’s resolve to eliminate terrorism from its soil, the prime minister assured the US vice-president that Pakistan would respond to any actionable intelligence shared by the US side.

The two leaders agreed to maintain high-level engagements to strengthen cooperation in areas of mutual interest. Pence also accepted the prime minister’s invitation to visit Pakistan in the near future. Earlier, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also called to convey US government’s gratitude for the safe recovery of the hostages.