PAKISTAN, US ENJOY SHARED INTERESTS, SAYS NED PRICE

WASHINGTON: US State Department spokesperson Ned Price has said that Pakistan and United States enjoy shared interests in ensuring that the Taliban live up to the commitments and that terrorist groups are no longer able to threaten regional security.

While briefing the journalists in Washington on Wednesday, Ned Price said that in the US-Taliban agreement, the Taliban made a commitment to see to it that terrorists would not operate freely within Afghanistan.

He said Pakistan, of course, has suffered tremendous violence owing to the threats that have in many cases emanating from Afghanistan. So we are committed to working with partners. The threats that emerge in Afghanistan present a threat to the United States and our allies, he said.

Avoiding commenting on the possible reply of Pakistan to the attacks of TTP, Ned Price said, he cannot comment on the nature of the response by Islamabad and added Pakistan will do whatever is better in its interests.

The US official also condemned the terror attacks of TTP from Afghanistan.

Earlier, the US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that Pakistan has a right to defend itself from terrorism.

Price said the US is closely monitoring the situation in Afghanistan and called on the Taliban to uphold the very commitment they have made to see to it that Afghan soil is never again used as a launchpad for international terrorist attacks.