US walks back Biden’s quip, terms TTP ‘threat’

WASHINGTON: The US continued to back- pedal from President Joe Biden’s position on Pakistan’s nuclear programme as the State Department said on Tuesday that Washington sought strong cooperation with Pakistan to fight global and indigenous terrorism and also has confidence in its capability to defend its nuclear means.

“Many countries suffer from terrorism like Pakistan and have a participated interest in combating pitfalls to indigenous stability and security from groups like TTP,” prophet Vedant Patel said.

On Monday, the State Department had quashed enterprises stirred by President Biden’s reflections when it clarified that the US was confident of Pakistan’s capability to keep its nuclear means safe and secure.

championing the confidence expressed by former US admi­nistrations as well, State Department prophet Vedant Patel said “The United States is confident of Pakistan’s commitment and its capability to secure nuclear means.”

The explanation followed a meeting between Ambassador Masood Khan and an elderly assistant to the US Secretary of State, Counsellor Derek Chollet. After the meeting, both sides expressed the desire to continue rebuilding their cooperation.

In addition, a member of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations told Dawn on Tuesday that President Biden’s reflections weren’t deliberate, or the administration would not have clarified them on Monday.

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Talking to Dawn, a Popular assemblyman from Maryland, Chris Van Hollen, said “I was pleased to see the State Department issued an explanation, making it clear that the United States government has confidence in the security of Pakistan’s nuclear munitions systems”.

When asked how US lawgivers viewed this contestation, he dismissed media enterprise about a change in the US policy towards Pakistan’s nuclear programme.

Asked if President Biden had just made off-the-cuff reflections or if his statement indicated a policy change, he said “I suppose it was out-the-cuff reflections. I’m assuming then, but that would be my reading, and that’s why the State Department issued an explanation. Had it not been off the cuff, had it been deliberate, also you wouldn’t have seen this(explanation).”

“So, you don’t see any policy change on Pakistan’s nuclear programme?” he was asked. “I do not,” the assemblyman replied.

The meeting between Counsellor Chollet and Ambassador Khan took place shortly before the State Department issued its explanation and came days after the Pakistan Foreign Office summoned the US minister in Islamabad to protest over President Biden’s reflections.

Mr Chollet said in a tweet that he met Ambassador Khan “to bandy US- Pakistan long-standing cooperation and(to) further grow our ties in so numerous areas including health, husbandry, education, entrepreneurship, energy and further for the benefit of our peoples and the region”.

The counsellor’s tweet converted the Pakistan delegacy to admit the meeting in a press release that not only espoused from Mr Chollet’s statement but also included contents from the State Department’s news briefing.