The White House on Wednesday recognized the historic cooperation between Pakistan and the United States in the fight against terrorism, but stated that there was no “alliance or treaty” between the two countries since Islamabad was never “a technical ally” of Washington.
John Kirby, White House national security communications adviser, said at a news conference in Washington that President Joe Biden’s administration remained committed to working with Pakistan to address threats emanating from terrorism.
“Well, first, as you know, Pakistan was never a technical ally of the United States. I mean, there was no alliance treaty with Pakistan,” Kirby said, while responding to a question about the Biden administration’s actions regarding Pakistan. .
However, he recognized bilateral cooperation in the fight against terrorism. “But certainly, for many, many years over the last two decades, we partnered with Pakistan as appropriate to address the terrorist threat that still exists in the backbone between Afghanistan and Pakistan,” he said.
Kirby also addressed current security concerns, stating: “We recognize that Pakistan is still… the Pakistani people are still victims of terrorist violence coming from across that border. We recognize that.” He said the Biden administration was committed to working with Pakistan to address these common threats.
“We have and during our time in office here we will remain committed to working with Pakistan to address those common threats and challenges. And that has not changed. It is not going to change,” he added.