Border security, terrorism dominate Pak-US talks

Pakistan and the United States on Monday began counterterrorism dialogue as Islamabad battled with the new wave of terror and Washington’s support was seen as crucial to tackle the renewed threat.

Syed Haider Shah, the additional secretary (UN&ED), led the Pakistan delegation, while the US delegation was headed by Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism Christopher Landberg.

According to sources, Foreign Secretary Asad Majid also attended the first day of lengthy talks at the Foreign Office.

"The dialogue is aimed at discussing common threat of terrorism, cooperation at multilateral fora and countering financing of terrorism," a Foreign Office statement said ahead of the talks.

Read more: Pak-US counter-terrorism dialogue to begin from Monday

A State Department announcement said last week that the participants in the Islamabad meeting would "develop policy-oriented strategies regarding cooperation in critical areas such as border security and countering the financing of terrorism”.

The two-day dialogue between the two countries is the first in recent years, suggesting that the US is keen to maintain security cooperation with Pakistan despite its withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.

Pakistan is facing a renewed threat of terrorism since the return of Afghan Taliban in Afghanistan in August 2021. This was contrary to the expectations of Pakistan, which thought a friendly government in the neighbouring country would address its security concerns.

Instead, the return of Afghan Taliban in Kabul has emboldened the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

However, the Pak-US dialogue on counter terrorism has renewed hopes that Washington may not completely abandon Pakistan. Some observers believe that the US administration is going ahead with the dialogue despite the view in Washington that the TTP is no longer a threat to the US.