Sunday, May 15 – Relationships strained between Pakistan and the United States following US unilateral raid in Abbottabad on May 2 to kill al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator John Kerry is due to visit Pakistan soon in order to mend relations.
According to U.S diplomatic sources, “Senator John Kerry who is currently visiting Afghanistan would land here any time to meet Pakistani leadership.”
Senator Kerry would also discuss US civil assistance to Pakistan under the KLB legislations apart from the against terror. The US has provided $1.2 billion to Pakistan in 2010 for floods relief, agriculture and social sectors uplift. Out of this amount, some funds have been disbursed through the KLB Act.
During his visit to northern Afghanistan city of Mazar-i-Sharif, US senator told reporters that Islamabad need to improve efforts in fighting extremism, but the death of bin Laden provided a critical chance to move forward.
Kerry further added that, “We obviously want a Pakistan that is prepared to respect the interests of Afghanistan, and to be a real ally in our efforts to combat terrorism.”
He also said that, “We believe there are things that can be done better. And there are serious questions that need to be answered in that relationship. But we’re not trying to find a way to break the relationship apart, we’re trying to find a way to build it.”
