She said Pakistan could manage without US assistance, as it had in the 1990s, but preferred to put the relationship back on track. Pakistan had always “played a vital role in the war on terror”, she said. Alleged Pakistani support for militant groups fighting in Afghanistan has poisoned relations between Washington and Islamabad since the military campaign was launched in 2001. The American military understands this and the Pakistan military understands this too.”Siddiqa predicted Pakistan would give some ground but not significantly suppress the militant groups. “But I don’t see any major change in policy.”The Trump administration in August suspended $255m for Pakistani purchases of US military hardware.

Source: The Guardian January 05, 2018 15:47 UTC