WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said that Pakistan could lose control of its territory if it does not sever ties with the Haqqani network and other militant outfits. Participating in a think-tank discussion earlier this week, Tillerson said the militants who were focusing on Kabul might one day decide that Islamabad was a better target. The warning followed a Pentagon statement, which said the new US strategy for Afghanistan had “fundamentally changed the battlefield in favour of Afghan national security forces” and the Taliban militants were now on the retreat. In his remarks on “Meeting the foreign policy challenges of 2017 and beyond” organised by the 2017 Atlantic Council-Korea Foundation Forum, Tillerson said that Pakistan’s relationship with the Haqqani network needed to be altered. The top US diplomat assured Pakistan that Washington wanted to work with Islamabad to “stamp out terrorism within their boundaries”, but Pakistan had to “begin the process” by changing its relationship with the Haqqani network and with others.

Source: Pakistan Today December 15, 2017 07:53 UTC