Unilateral actions detrimental to spirit of Pak-US cooperation against terrorism: FO

Pakistan strengthening the border on its side to prevent unauthorised movement of people from Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday stressed that unilateral actions by the United States were detrimental to the spirit of cooperation between Islamabad and Washington in the fight against terrorism.



Speaking to media representatives in the capital during a regular press briefing, Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal again commended a drone strike in Kurram Agency carried out by the Resolute Support Mission (RSM) on Wednesday, targeting an Afghan refugee camp.

The strike, reports claimed, allegedly killed a commander from the Haqqani network and his two accomplices.

However, a US embassy spokesperson on Thursday also said that “the claim in an MFA statement yesterday that US forces struck an Afghan refugee camp in Kurram Agency yesterday is false”.

“Pakistan continues to emphasise to the US the importance of sharing actionable intelligence, so that appropriate action is taken against terrorists by our forces within our territory,” he said.

The FO spokesperson added, “Pakistan has also been stressing the need of early repatriation of Afghan refugees, as their presence in Pakistan helps Afghan terrorists to melt and morph among them.”

“Such unilateral actions are detrimental to the spirit of cooperation between the two countries in the fight against terrorism.”

He said that the US accusations of the Taliban and Haqqani Network finding safe havens in Pakistan were contrary to the ground realities.



“Pakistan has strengthened the border on its side by deploying over 200,000 troops, constructing scores of border posts and a fence to prevent unauthorised movement of people,” said Dr Faisal.

He insisted that the Afghan government must do similar complementary efforts on its side of the border as well.