Washington: US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Monday hoped that the US will be able to mend its strained ties with Pakistan, because a stable relationship with Islamabad is key to win the US war in Afghanistan.
Panetta said that restoring the strained relationship with Pakistan is critical to the long-term progress in Afghanistan, reported Xinhua.
“I think it is going to be important, as we are able to move and progress in our efforts in Afghanistan, that we continue to do outreach in Pakistan,” he told the US forces press service.
“It is essential to stability in that region that we not only achieve a peaceful resolution with regards to Afghanistan, but that we are able to develop a more stable relationship with Pakistan as well,” he said.
The US defense chief conceded that the US relationship with Pakistan has been “difficult and complicated”, while emphasizing that “it is an important relationship, and it is one we have to continue to work at”.
The US-Pakistan relationship was strained after the May 2 raid inside Pakistan to kill Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, and further worsened after the NATO air attack on two Pakistan Army posts near its border with Afghanistan Nov 26 that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. (IANS)