US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has highlighted what he described as improving ties between Washington and Islamabad, praising Pakistan's civilian and military leadership and calling the evolving relationship with the United States an important development for regional peace.
Speaking at the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore on May 30, Hegseth said US President Donald Trump had developed a "true friendship" with Pakistan's leadership and credited Islamabad with playing a constructive role in efforts aimed at maintaining stability in South Asia.
"I very easily could have mentioned Pakistan and the role that the field marshal and the prime minister are playing in peace negotiations," Hegseth said, referring to Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Calling the warming ties between Washington and Islamabad "an unexpected development", Hegseth said the relationship was becoming increasingly important. He also pointed to what he described as President Trump's role in helping broker peace between India and Pakistan, two nuclear-armed neighbors.
Hegseth's remarks came during a discussion on regional security, where he was also asked about the missile capabilities of India and Pakistan. Responding to the question, he said the United States does not currently view either country as a missile threat.
'Abjure terrorism first': IndiaIndia delivered a pointed response to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's description of an emerging "true friendship" between Washington and Islamabad, saying friendly nations should instead press Pakistan to permanently abandon cross-border terrorism. "We hope our friends and partners would impress upon the country to credibly and irrevocably abjure cross-border terrorism," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said when asked about Hegseth's remarks. |
