Biden calls Pakistan “one of the most dangerous nations in the world” | Abroad

The president made those statements during a closed Democratic Party fundraising meeting. Biden’s comments were later published by the White House, sparking bad blood in Islamabad. Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said he was surprised and emphasized that the security of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal is in order. “We meet every international standard in accordance with the IAEA (the International Nuclear Watchdog).”

Zardari said in a press conference that Pakistan wants clarification from the ambassador, but already indicated that Biden did not make his statements in an official capacity. “It was not a speech addressed to the nation or to parliament. We must give them the opportunity to explain this position. As far as we’re concerned, this need not harm ties between the United States and Pakistan.” Biden called Pakistan dangerous after talking about its dealings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and how China is trying to figure out how it wants to relate to Russia, India and Pakistan.

Relations between Islamabad and Washington have been improving somewhat recently, after years of strained relations. The main reason for this is that the US suspects Pakistan of supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan, which the government denies. Pakistan is also said to have housed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was knocked out by US special forces in his Pakistani hideout in 2011.