23 August 2018•Update: 24 August 2018
By Umar Farooq
WASHINGTON
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
