US President Joe Biden made a candid remark against Pakistan, terming it as “one of the most dangerous nations” in the world and questioning its nuclear weapons safety protocols. The remark drew sharp reaction from Islamabad which summoned the US ambassador and sought an explanation.
The president made the apparent off-the-cuff remarks on late Thursday at a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Reception in Los Angeles (California), where he was talking about the US's foreign policy with regard to China and Russia.
"This is a guy (Xi Jinping) who understands what he wants but has an enormous, enormous array of problems. How do we handle that? How do we handle that relative to what's going on in Russia? And what I think is maybe one of the most dangerous nations in the world: Pakistan. Nuclear weapons without any cohesion," said Biden.
He also claimed there were enormous opportunities for the US to change the dynamic in the second quarter of the 21st century.
Biden's remarks against Pakistan came amid the Shehbaz Sharif government's attempts to improve its ties with Washington. US officials believe Islamabad’s powerful military and intelligence apparatus have aided the Taliban, who swept back to power as foreign troops pulled out, reported AFP. The US is also wary of Pakistan’s close partnership with China
Hours after the White House released the transcript of Biden's address, Pakistan summoned US ambassador Donald Blome to the foreign office in Islamabad.
“I am surprised by the remarks of President Biden. I believe this is exactly the sort of misunderstanding that is created when there is lack of an engagement," Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said.
He, however, hoped that Biden's remarks would not negatively impact the relations between Pakistan and the US.