The US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Ambassador Alice Wells, discussed with Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua Washington-Islamabad relations and the situation in Afghanistan and in the Indian occupied Kashmir.
They met on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly session in New York. During the meeting, the foreign secretary said Pakistan desired a broad-based relationship with the United States that was based on mutual respect and shared interests.
Pakistan, she said, wanted to see a peaceful and stable Afghanistan. Highlighting the steps Pakistan had taken to engage with the Afghan government, she reaffirmed Pakistan's support for a comprehensive political reconciliation process in Afghanistan.
The Foreign Secretary reiterated Pakistan's concern over the presence of ungoverned spaces in Afghanistan, which were exploited by militant groups for launching terrorist attacks in the region. She also briefed Ambassador Wells on the measures Pakistan was taking to secure the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Janjua also drew the senior US official's attention to the ongoing human rights violations being committed by Indian forces in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. She said recent events had again demonstrated India's stubborn unwillingness to engage with Pakistan.
Wells said the United States looked forward to working with the new government. Pakistan's support was critical for peace in Afghanistan and appreciated the new government's policy of reaching out to the Afghan government, she said.
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