The Unites States has maintained its secretary of state Michael R. Pompeo told new Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to take “decisive action against all terrorists operating in Pakistan” after Pakistan called its account of their telephone conversation “factually incorrect”.
US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said there would be no correction in response to Pakistan’s complaint that the issue of terrorists operating in its territory never came up in the phone call.
“I can only say we stand by our readout,” she said at a press conference on Thursday, calling Pakistan “an important partner” in the region.
“The secretary had a good call with the new prime minister and we look forward to having a good relationship with them in the future,” Nauert added.
The row comes ahead of Pompeo’s visit to Islamabad in the first week of September to meet Khan, who was sworn in as prime minister on August 18.
The US State Department readout of the call said Pompeo wished Khan success and also asked Khan to take “decisive action against all terrorists operating in Pakistan”, but Pakistan’s foreign ministry asserted that the issue of militants never came up in the phone call between Pompeo and Khan.
“Pakistan takes exception to the factually incorrect statement issued by US State Dept on today’s phone call,” the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Twitter.
“There was no mention at all in the conversation about terrorists operating in Pakistan. This should be immediately corrected.”
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