U.S. Asks Pakistan To Fight Terrorist Groups Equally

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President Trump

President Trump

The U.S. has called on Pakistan to fight all terrorist groups equally and avoid using some of them as proxies in Afghanistan.

Lt.-Gen. H. R. McMaster, U.S. National Security Advisor made the call during meetings with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and military chief Qamar Bajwa on the final leg of his visit to the region before flying out late Monday.

McMaster arrived in Islamabad on Monday on an unannounced visit, a day after he hinted the U.S. could take a tougher stance on Pakistan.

It was the first visit by a top member of President Donald Trump’s administration to the militancy-hit South Asian country.

The visit also came after a stop in neighbouring Afghanistan where he suggested Washington may take a stronger line on Islamabad, for years seen as an unreliable U.S. ally.

According to a statement from the U.S. Embassy, during the meetings, McMaster “stressed the need to confront terrorism in all its forms”.

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“The U.S. hopes Pakistani leaders will understand that it is in their interest to go after terrorist groups less selectively than they have in the past,” McMaster told Afghanistan’s Tolonews before the visit.

“The best way to pursue their interest in the country and elsewhere is through diplomacy not through the use of proxies and engaging violence,” McMaster said.

The visit was first high-level interaction between the U.S. and Pakistan since President Donald Trump was inaugurated in January.

During the meeting, Sharif welcomed Trump’s willingness to help India and Pakistan resolve their differences particularly in relation to the disputed Kashmir region.

The Trump administration is reportedly considering new policies regarding Afghanistan including a proposal to send additional troops to the country to end a stalemate with Taliban insurgents

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