ISLAMABAD: The United States has said it was ready to “assist” Pakistan broadly against terrorism challenges and amid an ongoing standoff between the government and local Taliban detainees who overpowered their guards at a police center and seized control of the facility on Sunday, holding it hostage since.
Authorities have opened talks with the hostage takers inside the counterterrorism department (CTD) jail but as of Tuesday morning, there were no reports of positive gains. Media reported that at least one CTD official had been killed by militants but government officials declined to confirm this or the exact number of hostages and hostage takers.
In a statement released on Sunday, the Taliban demanded its members held at the CTD jail be allowed safe passage to Pakistan’s tribal areas in North or South Waziristan.
Speaking at a press briefing on Monday evening, US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said his country would help Pakistan take on the challenge of “terrorism”.
“We urge those responsible for the attack to cease all acts of violence, to safely release those who remain hostage, and to end the seizure of the counterterrorism center,” he said in response to a question about the hostage situation.
“Government of Pakistan is a partner when it comes to these shared challenges, including the challenge of terrorist groups – terrorist groups inside of Afghanistan, terrorist groups along the Afghan-Pakistan border.”
“We stand ready to assist, whether with this unfolding situation or more broadly,” he added.
Responding to another question related to a heated exchange between Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar at the United Nations last week, Price said the US wanted to see “constructive dialogue between India and Pakistan.”
“These [US] relationships [with India and Pakistan] stand on their own, it is not zero-sum,” Price told reporters.
“We see the importance – the indispensability really – of maintaining valuable partnerships with both our Indian and our Pakistani friends. Each of these relationships is – we don’t view them in relation to the other. Each of these relationships also happens to be multifaceted.”
Responding to a question about the US continuing its strategic partnership with India despite its reported worsening human rights record, Price said:
“So even as we deepen our global strategic partnership with India, we are also – we also have a relationship in which we can be candid and frank with one another. Where we have disagreements or concerns, we voice those just as we would with our Pakistani friends as well.”
The State Department Spokesman said the US did not want to “see a war of words between India and Pakistan,” adding that a “constructive dialogue” between the two nations would be for the betterment of the people of both nations:
“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.”
