Briefing the newsmen in Washington DC, he said that a prosperous and stable Pakistan is in the interests of US-Pakistan relations. "We are engaged with Pakistan directly on several issues but a statement cannot be given on every diplomatic contact."
Answering a question, Patel said: "We engage directly with our Pakistani partners on the issues that are of importance to the United States and are of importance to broader regional security and stability."Replying to a question regarding Dr Aafia Siddiqui, who has been languishing in a US jail for the last 20 years, the US official said the State Department doesn’t have anything to speak on this case. "I will refer [this question] to the relevant law enforcement authorities," he added.