By Umar Farooq
WASHINGTON (AA) – Pakistan on Thursday rejected a statement by the U.S. State Department regarding a phone call with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.
In an earlier statement, Spokesperson Heather Nauert said: “Secretary Pompeo expressed his willingness to work with the new government towards a productive bilateral relationship. ”
Pompeo “raised the importance of Pakistan taking decisive action against all terrorists operating in Pakistan and its vital role in promoting the Afghan peace process, ” read the statement.
Hours later, the statement drew reaction from Mohammad Faisal, the spokesperson for the Pakistani Foreign Ministry, who said Islamabad “takes exception to the factually incorrect statement ” issued by the State Department.
“There was no mention at all in the conversation about terrorists operating in Pakistan, ” Faisal wrote in a tweet.
He asked the State Department to “immediately ” correct the statement.
Pompeo, who is expected in Islamabad on Sept. 5, will likely be the first foreign diplomat to visit Khan.
*Servet Gunerigok contributed to this story
