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Pakistani police used tear gas and batons August 27 to disperse anti-U.S. protesters in the southern port city of Karachi, while in the capital, Islamabad, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that it canceled this week’s visit by a senior U.S. delegation.
Alice Wells, Washington’s special representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, had been scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on August 28 to meet with Pakistani officials.
No reason was given for the cancelation but it was apparently linked to the demand made last week by President Donald Trump that Pakistan shut down safe havens for the Afghan Taliban.
Pakistan says it has no safe havens for the Taliban.
“At the request of the government of Pakistan, the visit of the U.S. delegation has been postponed until a mutually convenient time,” the Foreign Ministry said in its statement.
In Karachi police intervened when a group of Shi’ite students tried to march toward the U.S. Consulate and an officer was injured in the process.
In Islamabad, a group held a peaceful “Defense of Pakistan” rally on August 27 condemning U.S. policy.
In a speech announcing a new strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia, Trump said said that the United States wanted an immediate end to militant sanctuaries, particularly to members of the Haqqani network blamed for some of the worst attacks in Afghanistan.
Copyright (c) 2015. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.