A senior US official has reassured Islamabad that despite occasional friction, the United States and Pakistan maintain a stable and extensive relationship.
Speaking during a mango party hosted at the Pakistan Embassy, US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Elizabeth Horst said “Like any long-standing relationship, there’s occasional friction.” “However, the US-Pakistan relationship is currently in its best state in years. We have achieved stability and broadened our engagement in ways not seen in many years.”
The US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary has said relations with Pakistan were in the “best place” they had been in years, days after a US congressional resolution calling for a probe into alleged election irregularities drew a strong reaction from Islamabad.
Ties between Islamabad and Washington, once close allies, have just started to warm after some years of frosty relations, mostly due to concerns about Pakistan’s alleged support of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Pakistan has always denies this support.
Relations strained further under the government of former prime minister Imran Khan, who ruled from 2018-22 and antagonized Washington throughout his tenure, welcoming the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 and later accusing Washington of being behind his ouster from power in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in April 2022. Washington has dismissed the accusation.
