US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson got a frosty welcome to Pakistan on Tuesday after Washington turned up the heat on Islamabad for allegedly providing “safe havens” for Taliban militants. Pakistan has repeatedly denied the charge, insisting it maintains contacts only to try to bring the militants to peace talks. The US-Pakistan relationship has waxed and waned dramatically since Trump took office in January. Pakistan said the President had praised its then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif as “terrific” in an effusive phone call when Trump took office in January. Following the August speech, Tillerson cautioned Pakistan that it could lose its status as a privileged military ally if it continued providing support to Afghan militant groups.

Source: Dhaka Tribune October 24, 2017 12:11 UTC