Islamabad [Pakistan]: US Charge d’ Affairs to Pakistan, Angela Aggeler called on Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa in Rawalpindi and discussed the current security situation in Afghanistan and topics of bilateral cooperation. During the meeting on Monday, matters of mutual interest, the current security situation in Afghanistan, and bilateral cooperation in various fields came under discussion, Geo News reported citing the statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). “Pakistan desires to maintain the tradition of bilateral engagement and wishes for an enduring relationship with the United States,” said Gen Bajwa during the discussion with the US diplomat. He reiterated the need for global convergence in Afghanistan to avoid a humanitarian crisis over there and pushed for coordinated efforts for the economic uplifting of the Afghan people. This meeting comes amid fraught ties between Islamabad and Washington. Following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan and the surrender of the US back government, lawmakers in Washington are looking to radically reassess our policy toward Pakistan. Last month, a bill was introduced in the US Senate calling for a probe into Pakistan’s support to the Taliban. The bill titled the ‘Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability Act’, aims to address the outstanding issues related to the Administration’s rushed withdrawal from Afghanistan. More than 20 US Senators had introduced the bill and demanded sanctions on the Taliban in Afghanistan and the foreign governments that support the outfit.
