Pakistan s defense minister is expressing concern about a White House statement saying the U.S. military has been given authority to eliminate militant safe havens in Pakistan.
The White House statement was published within a late Tuesday email to the press that listed Donald Trump s foreign policy accomplishments during his first year as president.
In an interview with VOA s Urdu Service, Pakistani Defense Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan said he takes the statement "very seriously."
"We want to make it clear to the U.S. that Pakistan is a sovereign country and its sovereignty must be respected," Dastgir said. "Instead of using these words, which can be interpreted in any way, Pakistan should be consulted," he added. "Statements like this are taking us away from peace in Afghanistan."
At a Thursday Pentagon press briefing, a senior official said the U.S. military doesn t "contemplate military operations inside Pakistan."
Pakistan-U.S. relations have deteriorated rapidly. Last month the Trump administration cut nearly all security aid to Islamabad until the country takes stronger steps to deal with terrorist networks operating in its territory.
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