The United States has declined to verify whether Pakistan provided any definitive commitments on action against terrorist outfits based in its territory during the recent visit of an all-parliamentary delegation head by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Cornered on the issue, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce retorted, "I am not going to talk about the specifics of those conversations," when probed if any pledges were made by Islamabad on counterterrorism during the last week's diplomatic interaction.
The Pakistani side, headed by Bhutto Zardari, met with some of the highest-ranking U.S. officials, including Undersecretary for Political Affairs Alison Hooker. Bruce reported that the meetings addressed crucial elements of the U.S.-Pakistan relationship, including counterterrorism cooperation, as a principal area of focus. She also reported that Hooker reaffirmed the United States' continued support for the India-Pakistan ceasefire agreement.
Although regional stability and counterterrorism were said to be the topics of discussions, there has been no official admission of any new commitment on the part of Pakistan to quash extremist groups—a long-standing issue in the context of U.S.-India relations.
On the diplomatic front, a simultaneous engagement saw Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau receive a visiting Indian parliamentary delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. At the meeting, Landau reiterated Washington's unflinching support for India's anti-terrorism campaign and reiterated the robustness of the strategic partnership between the two democracies, Bruce said.
When asked about any follow-up to President Donald Trump's previous suggestion to mediate between India and Pakistan after the ceasefire, Bruce replied cautiously, making it clear that she was not authorized to speak on behalf of the president or forecast future policy actions.
What I do know… is that President Trump, with every step he takes, it's done to resolve generational differences between nations, generational war," she said, implying that Trump's method has always been to try to deal with longstanding international conflicts.
Though she complimented Trump's track record of getting surprise groups together for talks, Bruce avoided talking about any particular initiatives towards Kashmir. "You can call the White House… they would have plenty to say," she said.
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