File photo of U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price. Photo by Freddie Everett; Courtesy State Department
The U.S. on Monday said it “stands ready” to assist Pakistan in tackling terrorism, especially the threat posed by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which has ramped up its militancy after ending a ceasefire agreed upon last year.
“We’ve been closely following reports that militants have seized control of the counterterrorism center in Bannu,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price during a regular press briefing. “We offer our deepest sympathies to those injured,” he said, calling on those responsible to “cease all acts of violence,” release their hostage, and end the seizure of the counterterrorism center.
Stressing that the Government of Pakistan was a partner when it came to shared challenges such as terrorist groups, he said Washington was ready to assist Pakistan “whether with this unfolding situation or more broadly.”
India vs. Pakistan
To another question on last week’s war of words between Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and his Indian counterpart at the U.N., Price emphasized that Washington’s ties with the rival nations stood on their own and were not “zero-sum.” Noting the importance of maintaining partnerships with both India and Pakistan, he said they were “multifaceted.” He also noted that the U.S. voiced its disagreements or concerns to both countries as and when they arose.
“The fact that we have partnerships with both countries makes us—of course leaves us not wanting to see a war of words between India and Pakistan,” he said. “We would like to see constructive dialogue between India and Pakistan. We think that is for the betterment of the Pakistani people, for the Indian people. There is much work that we can do together bilaterally. There are differences that, of course, need to be addressed between India and Pakistan. The United States stands ready to assist as a partner to both,” he added.