WASHINGTON – US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the elected civilian government in Pakistan was the primary interlocutor between Islamabad and Washington, saying the two sides share a number of similar interests.
He made the statements during a presser on Tuesday, reiterating that the US appreciates the longstanding cooperation with the South Asian nation.
Commenting on a query about Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s visit to Washington ahead of his retirement, he said General Bajwa called on senior US officials, including US Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman.
US state department spokesperson mentioned that security challenges are always on the agenda when we have high-level engagements with our Pakistani counterparts. He called it a standard practice, adding that we don’t delve into the details of those engagements always.
Commenting on mismanagement of relief items, he said Washington was serious about reports of corruption and looting of relief items not only in Pakistan but around the world where American taxpayer dollars were implicated.
We monitor and ensure that we have adequate tracking mechanisms in this context,” he said, adding that the US government sends inspection teams to such areas to monitor the situation and one such team visited 10 flood-affected areas in Balochistan last month.
