WASHINGTON: White House has said the relationship between Pak
istan and US is ‘quite complicated’, particularly in matters of national security.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest noted that the relationship between Pak
istan and US got more complicated after US conducted a raid in Pak
istan that killed Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, in a media briefing.
He added that over the past eight years Pak-US ties could not remain smooth, which was one reason President Obama’s wish to visit Pak
istan could not materialize
.
The spokesman said he cannot comment on the accuracy and tone of the recent conversation between US President-elect Donald Trump and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and added that Trump’s team would be contacted for clarification in this regard
.
The spokesman further said that Pak
istan is likely to be included in the list of countries President-elect Trump would visit after assumi
ng charge.
Replying to a question, Earnest said, “Once President Obama had expressed his wish to visit Pakistan, however, due to some reasons he could not visit there.”
He said that in the past, every US President sought advice and benefitted enormously from the
expertise of the officials at the State Department before meeting with world leaders and Donald Trump would also do so af
ter taki
ng charge.
He added that there are dedicated
experts and public servants at the State Department with years of experience.