ISLAMABAD: Donald Blome, the new American ambassador who arrived in Islamabad last month, said on Monday his country was keen to resume two-way communication with Pakistani government and society in an interview to a local media publication.

The United States and Pakistan remained close allies during the Cold War period, though their ties mostly centered on their defense and security requirements.

The bond between the two countries, which was already strained by the recent war in Afghanistan, suffered a significant blow after former prime minister Imran Khan accused President Joe Biden’s administration of conspiring to bring down his government before being ousted from power in a no-confidence vote in April.

The allegation, which was previously denied by various US officials, was also negated by the new American envoy who said Washington was “very clear” in its response to that.

“I think the best thing we can do going forward is to keep engaging across all levels of Pakistani society, as we have for the past 75 years,” he told Dawn newspaper, adding this engagement would not only be limited to the government but also extend to politicians, businesspeople, civil society activists and young individuals.

He said that he wanted to utilize the two-way communication to “listen and understand” what Pakistanis had to say about different issues while sharing with them US “views and positions as clearly and as transparently as possible.”

The US envoy recalled the recent interaction between the top diplomats of the two countries in New York where Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari went to attend a global food security conference last month on Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s invitation, saying “a number of follow-ups” were planned on the basis of the agenda set by them.

“I will do some of that here, and I expect we will see a variety of US visitors to Pakistan in the coming months to build on it further,” he added.

Ambassador Blome noted his country wanted “a strong partnership with Pakistan on counterterrorism” while expecting “sustained” and indiscriminate action from Islamabad against all militant outfits.

He did not say, however, if the US wanted to deploy drones along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan.

“The United States is committed to preventing the reemergence of terrorist threats, in Afghanistan or anywhere else,” he added. “Fighting terrorism is a global effort. We will continue to engage partners, allies, and key states around the world on how best to address terrorism.”