The United States has said that Washington is in contact with Pakistan directly on important issues including regional security and stability while emphasizing it wants to see Pakistan prosper, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Tuesday.

Addressing a news briefing in Washington on Monday, US State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said that the US wants to see a prosperous and stable Pakistan.

Patel said that a prosperous and stable Pakistan is in the interest of US-Pakistan relations. He said that Washington is engaged with Pakistan directly on several issues and added that 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 the US jail for the last 20 years, Patel said that the State Department doesn’t have anything to speak on this case. "I will refer to the relevant law enforcement authorities on this," he added.

Patel also avoided to directly answer a question about missing journalists and military courts in Pakistan, saying that the US would engage directly with Pakistan on diplomatic matters.

Patel was asked by a Pakistani journalist about the US reaction to the events of the past year. The journalist mentioned politicians being arrested, journalists missing and the establishment of military courts to try civilians. “No condemnation from the US with regard to any of these things?” the journalist asked.

Patel replied that the US government engages directly with Pakistan on matters which are important to the US and significant for regional security. “And as I have said before, we of course want to see a prosperous and stable Pakistan. That is in the interest of US-Pakistan relations,” he said.

Then in a broken up sentence, the spokesman said that the US would not engage with everything it read out. “And when we direct – we engage with these – with this country directly and not everything we read out are – when it comes to our diplomatic engagements.”

When the journalist pressed him about ‘human rights’, the State Department spokesman said he would like to move on.

Earlier, he was also asked about Afia Siddiqui who has been in US jail and was recently allowed to meet her family for the first time in over 20 years. Patel said the question could not be answered by the State Department and must be directed to law enforcement.

He also added that he would not ‘speculate or hypothesize’ about Shakeel Afridi who is in jail in Pakistan.