US State Secretary Antony Blinken telephones Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that he received a telephone call from the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, ARY News reported on Friday.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said in a Twitter message that he is grateful for warm felicitations from US State Secretary Antony Blinken on his assumption of office.

Bilawal and Blinken exchanged views on strengthening the mutually beneficial and broad-based relationship between Pakistan and the US. They also discussed the promotion of peace, development and security.

They agreed that engagement with mutual respect is the way forward for both countries.

Received call from @SecBlinken grateful for warm felicitations on my assumption of office. Exchanged views on:
-Strengthening mutually beneficial, broadbased relationship
-Promotion of peace,development & security
-Agreed engagement with mutual respect is the way forward 🇺🇸🤝🇵🇰

— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) May 6, 2022

Earlier on Wednesday, the spokesman for the United States Department of State Ned Price said in a statement that the US will continue cooperating with Pakistan on counterterrorism and border security and reiterated Washington’s condemnation of last month’s terrorist attack on Karachi University, amid a spike in the such attacks across the country.

“We value our bilateral relationship. We want to continue to work together in areas where we do have mutual interests with our Pakistani partners. That includes counterterrorism. That includes border security as well,” Spokesman Ned Price had said at his daily press briefing.

He was responding to a question about whether the US was reviewing the former Trump administration-imposed suspension of security aid to Islamabad following the deadly terrorist attack in Karachi, as such attacks emanating from Afghanistan continue to rise across Pakistan.

“We strongly condemned the terrorist attack against Karachi University in Pakistan. We reiterate that condemnation today. A terrorist attack anywhere is an affront to humanity everywhere,” a State Department Spokesperson said

“But for a terrorist attack to take place at a university or at a religious site or at some of the locations we’ve seen recently, that is a true affront to mankind,” he said.

Following the attack, the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility. Three Chinese teachers and their Pakistani driver were killed in the attack.