The United States has welcomed Pakistan’s reported move to clamp down on militant outfits including the Afghan Haqqani group and Jamaat ud Dawa, saying banning the organizations would be an important step toward eliminating terrorist activity.
“We welcome reports that the Government of Pakistan plans to outlaw the Haqqani Network, Jamaat ud Dawa and I think ten other organizations linked to violent extremism,” Marie Harf, Deputy Spokesperson at the State Department, said while commenting on Islamabad’s plan to ban the two militant groups.
Speaking at a briefing, hosted by Washington’s Foreign Press Center, the spokesperson called the decision “an important step certainly toward eliminating terrorist activity in Pakistan.”
Harf, earlier during the daily briefing said, “I know this was just an announcement that this is planning to happen. I don’t have more details on when it might.”
On Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to Pakistan this week, the spokesperson said the chief American diplomat had a “very good” visit during which he discussed counterterrorism and how the two sides could work more closely.
“Obviously, the Secretary (Kerry) was just there and had a wide-ranging conversation with the Pakistanis about counterterrorism, certainly. He emphasized that we’re committed to deepening our security partnership with Pakistan, and obviously had many conversations with Prime Minister (Nawaz) Sharif and others,” Harf concluded. (APP)
