ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has told the United States that it was willing to work with them but the “expectations should be logical”, The Nation has learnt.

Senior officials at the foreign ministry who remain in contact with Washington said Islamabad wanted to work as an ally not as an “inferior partner”.

“We are trying to convince them that their expectations should not be influenced by India. Our [Pak-US] bilateral ties should not be dictated by India,” one of the officials told The Nation.

He added: “Of course the partners do have expectations from one another but the expectations should be logical.”

This week, US Acting Secretary of State for South Asia and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells said her country had specific expectations from Pakistan to “help create conditions” that will help “bring Taliban to the negotiating table.”

Earlier, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson - who visited Pakistan this month - said: “Here’s what we need for Pakistan to do. We are asking you to do this; we are not demanding anything. You are a sovereign country. You’ll decide what you want to do, but understand this is what we think is necessary. And if you don’t want to do that, don’t feel you can do it, we’ll adjust our tactics and our strategies to achieve the same objective a different way.”

Later, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said Pakistan being a sovereign country could not accept the idea of joint operation with the US against the militants inside Pakistan.

He said Tillerson, during his recent visit, had not handed over any list of Pakistani militants to Pakistan.

Abbasi reiterated Pakistan’s stance that Afghan issue could only be resolved through dialogue.

Pakistan can contribute to this peace process, he added.

Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif had told the Senate last week that Washington had given a list of 75 Afghan militants to Islamabad in its bid to increase pressure on Pakistan.

“The Haqqani network is on the top of the list, but none of the militants are Pakistanis,” he maintained.

Asif claimed the Taliban leaders whose names were on the list were either dead or operating as “shadow governors” in Afghanistan.

The US and Afghanistan allege Haqqani network leaders were hiding inside Pakistani side of the border with Afghanistan, and carrying attacks on the other side of the porous border.

Pakistan rejects the claim.

Another official at the foreign ministry said Pakistan had told the US not to impose “Indian demands” on Pakistan through Washington.

“Our [Pak-US] bilateral ties should not depend on India. We have a long history of partnership and we are willing to continue that as a sovereign country,” he told The Nation.

The official added: “The US is trying to understand our point of view as we continue the talks process. The situation is not ideal but we are hoping for good results as we move ahead.”

International relations expert Dr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal said the US had to change its policy towards south Asia.

“The US seems aggressive but they know there will be no solution with this attitude. President Donald Trump is realising the realities and is likely to change his stance,” he said.

Jaspal said US could not impose its will on Pakistan as it was no longer dependent on Washington militarily.

“Pakistan’s good ties with China and improving ties with Russia are strong points,” he added.

International affairs expert Dr Huma Baqai believed Pakistan had rightly rejected the US proposal of a joint operation against the militants on the Pakistani side of the border with Afghanistan.

The US and India, she said, wanted to counter Chinese strategic footprints in Asia Pacific but the US also needed Pakistan if it was interested in peace in the region.

Dr Huma Baqai criticised the Afghan president for his tilt towards India despite Pakistan’s long history of cooperation.