“Do More to Rein in Terrorists”, Pompeo Tells Imran

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Pakistan’s new Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday and asked him to take “sustained and decisive measures” against terrorists threatening the regional peace and stability, days after the US cancelled $300 million in military aid to Islamabad for failing to rein in the terror groups operating from its soil.

Pompeo asked Khan “to do more” at the meeting, which was also attended by Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Foreign Minister Qureshi. This was the US’ first high-level dialogue with Pakistan since the new government of Prime Minister Khan assumed office after the July 25 elections and comes days after the US cancelled $300 million in military aid to Islamabad for not doing enough against terror groups active on its soil. Talking to reporters Pompeo said, “We made clear to them that and they agreed it’s time for us to begin to deliver on our joint commitments, right. So we’ve had lots of times where we’ve talked and made agreements, but we haven’t been able to actually execute those. And so there was broad agreement between myself and Foreign Minister Qureshi, as well as with the prime minister, that we need to begin to do things that will begin to actually, on the ground, deliver outcomes so that we can begin to build confidence and trust between the two countries.”