WASHINGTON  -  US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel has said that the United States supports Pakistan’s efforts to combat terrorism.

Briefing the media here yesterday, Vedant Patel said that United States and Pakistan have a shared interest in combating threats to regional security.

Vedant Patel said that we support Pakistan’s efforts to combat terrorism and ensure the safety and security of its citizens in a manner that promotes the rule of law and protection of human rights.

He also said that our partnership with Pakistan on security issues includes a high-level counter-terrorism dialogue, funding robust counter terrorism capacity, and building programmes and supporting a series of US and Pakistan Military-To-Military engagements.

Replying to a question, Vedant Patel said that Acting Under Secretary for Political Affairs John Bass is on a visit to Doha and Islamabad.

In Doha, he’ll meet with senior Qatari Officials and other Diplomatic Missions to discuss support for Afghanistan and other shared security interests in the region, and in Islamabad we expect him to meet with Senior Pakistani Officials and discuss a range of regional and bilateral issues as well.