ISLAMABAD: A two-day counter-terrorism dialogue between Pakistan and the United States (US) will begin in Islamabad on Monday, the Pakistani Foreign Office said, adding the discussions will be aimed at countering common threats to both countries.
The dialogue is being held at a time when Pakistan has been witnessing an uptick in militant attacks, particularly after the Pakistani Taliban called off a fragile cease-fire with the government in November. The local militants, who are a separate entity but aligned with the Afghan Taliban, have waged some deadly attacks against Pakistani police and security forces in recent months.
In December, the US said it was ready to “assist” the South Asian country against militancy-related challenges and that the Pakistani government was a partner when it came to the challenge of militant groups inside of Afghanistan and those along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The statement came after the Pakistani Taliban inmates seized a counterterrorism facility in Pakistan’s northwest, leading to the killing of three soldiers.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the two-day dialogue would provide an opportunity for both sides to exchange views and share their experiences and best practices in the domain of counter-terrorism.
“Pakistan and the United States will hold a Counter Terrorism Dialogue on 6-7 March 2023 in Islamabad. Syed Haider Shah, Additional Secretary (UN&ED) will lead Pakistan delegation and the US delegation will be headed by Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism Christopher Landberg,” the Foreign Office said in a statement on Sunday.
“The dialogue is aimed at discussing common threat of terrorism, cooperation at multilateral fora and countering financing of terrorism.”
Last week, the State Department said Acting Coordinator Landberg would lead an interagency delegation to Pakistan to participate in the dialogue.
“The United States and Pakistan will discuss the shared terrorist threats facing our two countries and develop policy-oriented strategies regarding cooperation in critical areas such as border security and countering the financing of terrorism,” it added.
Military cooperation between Pakistan and the United States spans over six decades, but it underwent a tactical renaissance since the militant attacks of September 11, 2001.
During the US ‘War on Terror’ against the Taliban in Afghanistan, US-Pakistan relations were largely prompted by Washington’s short-term need for Islamabad’s cooperation to serve its security and strategic interests in Kabul.
In return, the US continued to lend economic support and strategic patronage to the South Asian country. Pakistan, however, decries that it suffered huge losses due to the war in Afghanistan, while the US has blamed Islamabad for not adequately dealing with “terrorism.”
