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ISLAMABAD: In a move considered the latest attempt by the two countries to reestablish their connection, particularly in security matters, after the nation saw a rise in terrorist attacks, Pakistan and the United States will begin a counterterrorism discussion on Monday (today).
Syed Haider Shah, Additional Secretary (UN&ED), will lead the Pakistani mission during the two days of negotiations with the US delegation, which will be led by Christopher Landberg, Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism.
According to a statement released by the foreign office here on Sunday, the dialogue would focus on the shared threat of terrorism, collaboration at multilateral fora, and combating the financing of terrorists.
The dialogue would give both parties a chance to share their experiences, best practices, and points of view in the area of counterterrorism, according to the statement.
The two-day negotiations are taking place as Pakistan is currently dealing with new threats from the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Since the Afghan Taliban retook power in August 2021, there have been more terrorist incidents in Pakistan.
There are new prospects for Pakistan thanks to the counterterrorism discussion in Washington. According to some observers, the US continued the dialogue despite the belief in Washington that the TTP no longer posed a threat to the US.
In recent months, the TTP has made an apparent conscious effort to prevent US engagement by attempting to imply that its purpose is limited to Pakistan.
The TTP threat to Pakistan could be a concern to the US as well, the State Department spokesperson stated in one of his recent briefings. This shows how eager Washington is to keep up its collaboration in security and counterterrorism.
