The US State Department has once again condemned the suicide attack at the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) convention in Bajaur on Sunday. At least 54 people were killed and more than 120 injured in the suicide blast.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller expressed deep sorrow over the loss of human lives in the Bajaur attack and offered condolences to the families of the victims.
“The people of Pakistan have suffered a lot from terrorists. We believe in the ability of the Pakistani people to compete and deal with a devastating attack. ‘
He said that no country should fall prey to such terrorism, which is undoubtedly an insult to peace and democratic societies.
“We support the Pakistani government’s efforts to combat terrorism in a way that promotes the rule of law and protects human rights,” Miller said.
Responding to a question about any assurance in the recent Doha talks that Afghan soil will not be used for attacks against Pakistan, the US spokesman said, “We have always made it clear in this meeting and in other meetings and contacts with the Taliban that it is important that the Taliban do not allow Afghanistan to become a base for terrorist attacks.”
When asked whether Pakistan has made any request for any assistance from the US to deal with terrorism?
The spokesman said that he would not discuss any discussion between the two countries in this regard, but would say that the US State Department provides funding for a number of counter-terrorism capacity building programs in Pakistan, which focus on law enforcement and justice delivery, and we will continue to do so.
Regarding the visit of the Chinese Vice Premier to Pakistan on the completion of 10 years of the CPEC project and Pakistan-China relations, the State Department spokesman said, “Our support for Pakistan’s success in the economic field is unwavering and we will continue to engage with Pakistan to strengthen trade.” ‘
“Investment linkages will always be our priority for our bilateral relations,” he said. We prefer better governance, long-term capacity building and market-friendly trends in any country that provide an opportunity for the private sector to grow on the best path to sustain production and growth. ‘
“We welcome trade and investment that promotes production and growth, but we will continue to push for transparency, sustainable financial practices, and national data protection in all of these matters,” Miller added.
