Pompeo hopeful after meeting Pakistan PM

Islamabad : US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he was “hopeful” yesterday of resetting the troubled relationship with Pakistan, a key player in the Afghan conflict, after cordial meetings in Islamabad including with new premier Imran Khan. The shift in tone comes days after Washington confirmed plans to cancel $300 million in military aid, and was echoed by Khan, who voiced his optimism at a fresh start in the long-rocky ties between the wayward allies. The former CIA director, making his first visit as top US diplomat to Pakistan, told pool reporters shortly before leaving Islamabad that the “broad spectrum” of topics discussed included efforts “to develop a peaceful resolution in Afghanistan”.

“I’m hopeful that the foundation that we laid today will set the conditions for continued success,” he said -- though he added there was a “long way to go” before Washington would resume military assistance. US officials accuse Islamabad of ignoring or even collaborating with groups such as the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network, which attack Afghanistan from safe havens along the border between the two countries. The White House believes that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency and other military bodies have long helped fund and arm the Taliban both for ideological reasons and to counter rising Indian influence in Afghanistan.

It believes that a Pakistani crackdown on the militants could be pivotal in deciding the outcome of the long-running war in Afghanistan. Islamabad has long denied the claims. The cancelled military aid is part of a broader freeze announced by the Trump administration in January designed to pressure Pakistan -- particularly the military, widely seen as controlling foreign and defence policy -- into action. But Pompeo said ahead of the trip that it was time to “turn the page” and suggested that the election of Khan, who has vowed to seek better relations with the US, could provide a fresh impetus.