Biden’s outrage, the US is ‘confident’ in Pakistan’s ability to secure nuclear weapons.
“The United States is confident in Pakistan’s commitment and ability to secure its nuclear assets,” Vedant Patel, a State Department spokesperson, told reporters.
“The United States has always regarded a secure and prosperous Pakistan as critical to US interests, and the United States, more broadly, values our long-standing cooperation with Pakistan,” he said.
Last Thursday, Biden made the off-the-cuff remarks about Pakistan’s nuclear programme at a private Democratic Party fundraiser in California, where he began to discuss challenges facing Chinese President Xi Jinping, a close ally of Pakistan.
According to a White House transcript, Biden added, “And what I think is perhaps one of the most dangerous states in the world: Pakistan. Nuclear weapons without any coherence.”
When the White House made the transcript public on Saturday, the narrative was made public. The harm had already been done, despite the fact that the White House later downplayed Biden’s comments, maintaining that the US President wanted a stable and prosperous Pakistan.
Pakistan is a “responsible nuclear state,” according to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and it takes safety precautions “very seriously.”
Biden’s comments shouldn’t damage relationships, according to Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who also noted that the president wasn’t speaking at an official event.
However, Bilawal, who recently paid a visit to Washington, asked for increased communication because Biden didn’t seem particularly eager to meet with his Pakistani counterparts in person.
Islamabad and Washington have been secretly coordinating to ensure sure current efforts to restart the relationship stay on course.
According to official sources who spoke to The Express Tribune on Monday, the US informed Pakistan that President Biden’s remarks did not represent a new demand or a change in Washington’s stance.
Despite Pakistan’s rejection of Biden’s remarks and summons of the US ambassador to register a formal complaint, both nations are eager to put the incident behind them.
According to sources, Ambassador Donald Blome thoroughly clarified the context of Biden’s statement during his meeting with the foreign secretary on Saturday.
The US representative reaffirmed that the Biden administration desired for Pakistan to be “prosperous and stable.”
The government is also eager to put the spotlight on the constructive interaction between the two nations rather than becoming mired in what were perceived as President Biden’s impromptu statements.
