"We are breaking from the status quo on US-Pakistan relations and the Secretary by going to Pakistan will be implementing the president's strategy," a State Department official told reporters yesterday after Tillerson delivered a major India-policy speech.
Tillerson is scheduled to travel to India next week. He would also visit Pakistan. However, the dates of his Islamabad visit have not been announced.
"When the president gave his remarks about Pakistan, he talked about a lot of the positive aspects of the bilateral relationship. US and Pakistani military have worked together against common enemies," the official added.
"We recently had the rescue of the Coleman family," the official said, noting that people of Pakistan have suffered from terrorism and extremism. At the same time, Pakistan has to take decisive action against militant groups based in Pakistan that are a threat to the region," the official said.
"We have many common interests and common enemies in the region when it comes to our bilateral discussions with Pakistan which was with the Secretary (of State) will be talking about (during his Pakistan trip)," the official said.
"But we have said that it is time for Pakistan to demonstrate fully that it is willing to assist the United States in its core counter terrorism goals in the region. And the Secretary will be discussing that on his trip," the State Department official said.
"This trip is not the consequence of that. The Secretary was intensely involved in the liberation of the Coleman family from Pakistan," the official said.
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