Pakistan 'produced results'

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi yesterday reconfirmed Pakistan's commitment to the "war on terror" during a meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, saying his country had "produced results" fighting the region's Islamist militants.

Relations between uneasy allies United States and Pakistan have frayed in recent years, with Washington accusing Islamabad of turning a blind eye or helping Afghan Taliban and Haqqani network militants who stage attacks in Afghanistan. Pakistan denies doing so.

President Donald Trump has vowed to get tough with Pakistan unless it changed its behaviour, with US officials threatening further reductions in aid and mooting targeted sanctions against Pakistani officials.

Tillerson, on a tour of Asia and the Middle East, arrived in Pakistan yesterday afternoon and met with Abbasi, as well as Pakistan's powerful army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

On Monday, during a visit to Kabul, Tillerson urged Pakistan to act against safe havens on its soil.

"Pakistan needs to, I think, take a clear-eyed view of the situation that they are confronted with in terms of the number of terrorist organisations that find safe haven inside of Pakistan."

As well as support for the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network, another sticking point in the relationship has been growing closeness by the United States to India, Pakistan's arch-foe and neighbour.

Tillerson said last week that the Trump administration wanted to "dramatically deepen" cooperation with New Delhi, partly to offset Chinese influence in Asia. Trump has also called for greater Indian role in Afghanistan.

But this deepening in ties has alarmed Pakistan, which has rejected a greater political role for India for Afghanistan as a "red line" for Islamabad.

Tillerson is due to arrive in India late yesterday.