Pakistan says it will continue engagement with Washington despite US decision to slash security aid

Islamabad: Pakistan foreign s­ecre­tary Tehmina Janjua has said that the country will continue to have engagement, as far as possible, with the US because America is not only a global power but also has its presence in the region, and “for us its almost our neighbour”. Delivering a lecture on ‘Pakistan’s Foreign Policy Issues’ at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) in Karachi on Saturday, she said: “We need to continue to have a measured response to all the rhetoric coming out of the US,” reports Dawn news. [caption id=“attachment_4238097” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] In reply to a question, Janjua said US president Donald Trump’s tweet on 1 January could be well thought out or he was just being his impulsive self, or it could be a result of any other reason such as the fact that the US was not doing well in Afghanistan. “The tweet that came on January 1 was a tweet that came for many reasons. We are trying to analyse why that tweet came. It could have been some briefing material given to him in the morning… What triggered it?” she asked. Answering a question on Pakistan being put by the US on watch list for violation of religious freedom, Janjua said it had political reasons because right next door (in India) mob lynching of Muslims and minorities took place but no one took notice of it.