US secretary of state, Antony Blinken while testifying in front of the US foreign affairs committee&nbsp;on the hasty American pull-out from <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-killing-civilians-in-panjshir-valley-says-report-412897">Afghanistan</a>&nbsp;said that the US will be reassessing its ties with Pakistan.

Blinken noted that Pakistan had harboured members of the Taliban before including terrorists from the Haqqani Network. The Taliban has appointed Siajuddin Haqqani as the group's interior minister in the new Afghanistan government.

Blinken told lawmakers that the US planned to reassess its relationship with Pakistan in the coming weeks and the role played by Islamabad over the last 20 years and the role that it would like it to play in the future.

Watch:

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"We are going to be looking at the role that Pakistan has played over the last 20 years and also the role that we would want to see it playing in the coming years," Blinken said. 
&nbsp; 
The US secretary of state added that Pakistan had a multiplicity of interests including some which were in clear conflict with the US.

Blinken's comments come after Pakistan's intelligence chief visited Kabul as the Taliban announced its new government.

"What we have to look at is an insistence that every country, to include Pakistan, make good on the expectations that the international community has of what is required of a Taliban-led government if it is&nbsp;to receive any legitimacy of any kind or any support," Blinken told the US lawmakers.

Blinken said Pakistan was "hedging its bets constantly about the future of Afghanistan" while adding, "It's&nbsp;one that's involved harbouring members of the Taliban, including the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/terrorist-vs-terrorist-al-qaeda-leader-zawahiri-claims-credit-for-911-islamic-state-asks-if-he-is-still-alive-412505">Haqqanis</a>,"&nbsp;

"So Pakistan needs to line up with a broad majority of the international community in working toward those ends and in upholding those expectations," the US secretary of state added.

(With inputs from agencies)

US secretary of state, Antony Blinken while testifying in front of the US foreign affairs committee on the hasty American pull-out from Afghanistan said that the US will be reassessing its ties with Pakistan.

US secretary of state, Antony Blinken while testifying in front of the US foreign affairs committee on the hasty American pull-out from Afghanistan said that the US will be reassessing its ties with Pakistan. Blinken noted that Pakistan had harboured members of the Taliban before including terrorists from the Haqqani Network. The Taliban has appointed Siajuddin Haqqani as the group's interior minister in the new Afghanistan government. Blinken told lawmakers that the US planned to reassess its relationship with Pakistan in the coming weeks and the role played by Islamabad over the last 20 years and the role that it would like it to play in the future. Watch: "We are going to be looking at the role that Pakistan has played over the last 20 years and also the role that we would want to see it playing in the coming years," Blinken said. The US secretary of state added that Pakistan had a multiplicity of interests including some which were in clear conflict with the US. Blinken's comments come after Pakistan's intelligence chief visited Kabul as the Taliban announced its new government. "What we have to look at is an insistence that every country, to include Pakistan, make good on the expectations that the international community has of what is required of a Taliban-led government if it is to receive any legitimacy of any kind or any support," Blinken told the US lawmakers. Blinken said Pakistan was "hedging its bets constantly about the future of Afghanistan" while adding, "It's one that's involved harbouring members of the Taliban, including the Haqqanis," "So Pakistan needs to line up with a broad majority of the international community in working toward those ends and in upholding those expectations," the US secretary of state added. (With inputs from agencies)

Will reassess ties with Pakistan, says Blinken to US lawmakers

The Trump administration said on Thursday that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-army-to-raise-another-division-to-protect-cpec-projects-chinese-nationals-219864">China-Pakistan Economic Corridor</a>(CPEC) "is going to take a growing toll on the Pakistan economy, especially when the bulk of payments start to come due in the next four to six years."

Alice Wells, US acting assistant secretary of state for South Asia speaking at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, said:"CPEC relies primarily on Chinese workers and supplies, even amid rising unemployment in Pakistan," adding, "Even if loan payments are deferred, they are going to continue to hang over Pakistan's economic development potential, hamstringing Prime Minister (Imran) Khan's reform agenda."

The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Balochistan with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/cpec-project-for-pakistans-elites-lack-local-leadership-says-the-researcher-240853">China's Xinjiang province</a>, is the flagship project of Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

"It's clear, or it needs to be clear, that CPEC is not about aid," Wells said.

In early November, Pakistan had sought a $9 billion loan from China to finance road and infrastructure projects related to the CPEC project. Pakistan and China jointly opened the 392 km Multan-Sukkur Motorway with funding from China.

Pakistan Opposition had earlier called the setting up of the CPEC authority through an ordinance an "illegal" &nbsp;in violation of recommendations of the parliamentary committee concerned.

The Pakistani President had promulgated an ordinance for the establishment of the &nbsp;China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority(CPECA) to ensure the timely completion of the projects.

A US-based market analyst had earlier said that the CPEC is aimed as a "resource extraction exercise" rather than a job creation and development project while pointing out that there is a growing imbalance in trade between Pakistan and China.&nbsp;

During a meeting with Chinese officials in Islamabad, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had said that "Pakistan attaches great importance to the CPEC projects" while asserting that he was greatly satisfied with the "all-weather and time-tested Pak-China friendship transforming into a robust economic partnership". 
&nbsp;

The Trump administration said on Thursday that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) "is going to take a growing toll on the Pakistan economy, especially when the bulk of payments start to come due in the next four to six years.

The Trump administration said on Thursday that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) "is going to take a growing toll on the Pakistan economy, especially when the bulk of payments start to come due in the next four to six years." Alice Wells, US acting assistant secretary of state for South Asia speaking at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, said:"CPEC relies primarily on Chinese workers and supplies, even amid rising unemployment in Pakistan," adding, "Even if loan payments are deferred, they are going to continue to hang over Pakistan's economic development potential, hamstringing Prime Minister (Imran) Khan's reform agenda." The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Balochistan with China's Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). "It's clear, or it needs to be clear, that CPEC is not about aid," Wells said. In early November, Pakistan had sought a $9 billion loan from China to finance road and infrastructure projects related to the CPEC project. Pakistan and China jointly opened the 392 km Multan-Sukkur Motorway with funding from China. Pakistan Opposition had earlier called the setting up of the CPEC authority through an ordinance an "illegal" in violation of recommendations of the parliamentary committee concerned. The Pakistani President had promulgated an ordinance for the establishment of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority(CPECA) to ensure the timely completion of the projects. A US-based market analyst had earlier said that the CPEC is aimed as a "resource extraction exercise" rather than a job creation and development project while pointing out that there is a growing imbalance in trade between Pakistan and China. During a meeting with Chinese officials in Islamabad, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had said that "Pakistan attaches great importance to the CPEC projects" while asserting that he was greatly satisfied with the "all-weather and time-tested Pak-China friendship transforming into a robust economic partnership".

Pak-China CPEC project will hamstring PM Imran Khan's reform agenda: US

The United States once again urged Pakistan to combat and delegitimise all terrorist groups operating on its soil on Friday. In a daily briefing, the US state department spokesman Mark Toner called on Pakistan to do more to crack down on extremism.&nbsp;

&quot;Obviously Pakistan has suffered greatly at the hands of terrorists and violent extremists. We want to help Pakistan confront this terrorist threat,&quot; he said in response to a question.&nbsp;

Evading the question about Washington&#39;s position on China&#39;s veto against the United Nations resolution on designating Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a terrorist, Toner said thousands of innocent people have been killed in the name of terrorism and we want Pakistan to go after those terrorists who seek and sometimes find safe haven on Pakistan territory.

China was the sole member to support&nbsp;Pakistan in the 15-nation United Nations Security Council, extending its&nbsp;&ldquo;technical hold&rdquo; on India&rsquo;s efforts for a UN ban against Masood Azhar.

On Friday, the United States had branded Jamaat-ul-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed as an avowed terrorist, asserting that both him and the Lashkar-e-Toiba are designated by the Barack Obama-led Government and have the blood of several innocents on their hands.

(WION) 
&nbsp;

Putting pressure on Islamabad to crack down against extremism, the US asked Pakistan to delegitimse all terror groups operating on its soil

The United States once again urged Pakistan to combat and delegitimise all terrorist groups operating on its soil on Friday. In a daily briefing, the US state department spokesman Mark Toner called on Pakistan to do more to crack down on extremism. "Obviously Pakistan has suffered greatly at the hands of terrorists and violent extremists. We want to help Pakistan confront this terrorist threat," he said in response to a question. Evading the question about Washington's position on China's veto against the United Nations resolution on designating Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a terrorist, Toner said thousands of innocent people have been killed in the name of terrorism and we want Pakistan to go after those terrorists who seek and sometimes find safe haven on Pakistan territory. China was the sole member to support Pakistan in the 15-nation United Nations Security Council, extending its “technical hold” on India’s efforts for a UN ban against Masood Azhar. On Friday, the United States had branded Jamaat-ul-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed as an avowed terrorist, asserting that both him and the Lashkar-e-Toiba are designated by the Barack Obama-led Government and have the blood of several innocents on their hands. (WION)

US tells Pakistan to delegitimise all terrorist groups

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Will reassess ties with Pakistan, says Blinken to US lawmakers

Pak-China CPEC project will hamstring PM Imran Khan's reform agenda: US

US tells Pakistan to delegitimise all terrorist groups