Srinagar
The United States Chargé d’Affaires Ambassador Paul Jones on Friday called on Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua to convey “an important message” from the Trump administration, Pakistan newspaper Dawn quoted a Foreign Office source as saying.
The meeting took place in the aftermath of a suicide attack in south Kashmir, which has raised tensions between Pakistan and India.
“The US Embassy had sought the meeting,” the report quoted embassy’s spokesman Richard Snelsire as having said, but he did not divulge the contents of the meeting. A source, however, said the message pertained to the post-attack situation, the report mentioned.
The White House had, in its reaction to the attack on the Central Reserve Police Force bus in Pulwama on Thursday that left almost 49 paramilitary personnel dead, asked Pakistan “to end immediately the support and safe haven provided to all terrorist groups operating on its soil”, the report said.
The statement had said the goal of those groups was “to sow chaos, violence, and terror in the region”. “The attack, the White House said, strengthened its resolve to bolster counterterrorism cooperation and coordination with India.”
A State Department statement, meanwhile, said: “We call on all countries to uphold their responsibilities pursuant to UN Security Council resolutions to deny safe haven and support for terrorists,” the report added.
American National Security Adviser John Bolton also spoke to his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval.
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said Beijing wanted relevant countries in the region to make joint efforts to combat terrorism and preserve regional peace and security. “China will continue to deal with the relevant listing issue in a constructive and responsible manner,” he said while responding to a question about Beijing’s technical hold on the listing of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar by the United Nations, Dawn reported.
