Testifying before Congress last month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States would “reassess” its relationship with Pakistan.

Meeting protests from Pakistani officials, Blinken immediately backtracked and then praised Pakistan after meeting with his Pakistani counterpart on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. As Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman begins a two-day visit to Islamabad, her comments suggest business as usual. “We seek a strong partnership with Pakistan on counterterrorism,” she said. “Both of our countries have suffered terribly from the scourge of terrorism, and we look forward to cooperative efforts to eliminate all regional and global terrorist threats.”