ISLAMABAD: US Secretary of State John Kerry currently on a visit to Pakistan has said all extremist groups should be targeted equally. Calling on Pakistan to fight militant groups that threaten Afghan, Indian and US interests, Kerry said on Tuesday, 13 Jan that the US is committed to deepening its security relationship with Pakistan in order to eliminate threats in the border area and elsewhere.
Voicing sympathy for the victims of the December 16 attack on a Pakistani military school, Kerry said, The tragedy of December 16 is really a reminder of the serious risk of allowing extremists to find space, and be able to command that space and operate within it.
In a joint press conference with Pakistans Advisor to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security- Sartaj Aziz, Kerry said, all militant groups such as the Pakistani and Afghan Taliban, the Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Taiba continue to pose a threat not just to Pakistan and its neighbours but also to the United States and the world.
Make no mistake the task is a difficult one and it is not done, Kerry said.
We all have a responsibility to ensure that these extremists are no longer able to secure a foothold in this country or elsewhere.
Pakistan has long been suspected by the West of playing a double game, fighting some militants while supporting those its generals have regarded as strategic assets to be used against rivals and neighbours, India and Afghanistan.
To step up its offensive against militants, the United States is set to boost its security and intelligence cooperation with Pakistan.
The Express Tribune reports that the US Secretary of State lauded the efforts of Prime Minister- Nawaz Sharif for Pakistans fight against terrorists in operation Zarb-e-Azb and said that PM Nawaz Sharif deserves a lot of credit for his work and efforts in their current operation in North Waziristan.
Strongly condemning the brutal massacre of schoolchildren, Kerry say the terrorists who executed children and women will be isolated and deserted.
Every family in the US sympathises with Pakistan; the December 16 attack strengthened our shared resolve and the people of US will continue to stand with the people of Pakistan but the commitment is required from each one of us, said Kerry.
Speaking after visiting India over the weekend, Kerry added that he was deeply concerned by recent violence on the border dividing Kashmir, and called on India and Pakistan to find a diplomatic solution. “We continue to be deeply concerned by the recent spate of increased violence along the working boundary and the Line of Control,” Kerry said, referring to a ceasefire line that has become the de facto border dividing Kashmir, adding that it is profoundly in the interests of Pakistan and India to move this relationship forward.
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