Washington, August 10
The US is having conversations with the Pakistani leadership about the need to shutdown havens for Taliban militants along the Afghan-Pakistan border, the Pentagon said, as Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke over the phone with Pakistan Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa.
India played crucial role in Afghanistan
India has played a constructive role in Afghanistan in the past in terms of training and infrastructural development. That kind of work, that kind of effort to help Afghanistan maintain stability and good governance is always welcome.
Austin, in a phone call with Gen Bajwa on Monday, discussed the current situation in Afghanistan, regional security issues and the bilateral defence ties, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said.
During the phone call, Austin expressed interest in continuing to improve the US-Pakistan relationship and build upon their multiple shared interests in the region, Kirby said on Monday in a readout of the conversation.
“Secretary Austin and General Bajwa discussed the ongoing situation in Afghanistan, regional security and stability, and the bilateral defence relationship more broadly,” Kirby said. Responding to a question, Kirby said, “The US continues to have conversations with the Pakistani leadership about the havens that exist along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan”. — PTI
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