WASHINGTON, Jan 4: The United States and Pakistan have discussed the possibility of America’s collaboration for the Bhasha dam project, says the State Department.

The department’s spokesperson Victoria Nuland told a news briefing that the talks between Ambassador Sherry Rehman and US Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Nides also focused on a private initiative for encouraging foreign investments in Pakistan.

The Pakistani envoy was scheduled to meet Mr Nides at State Department on Thursday but she could not come because of her engagements in Islamabad, so the two officials discussed “the full range of US-Pakistani issues” by telephone, Ms Nuland said.

“The primary focus was on our bilateral economic relationship which, Deputy Secretary Nides is the main issue manager on, including kicking off the Pakistan Private Investment Initiative and our continued collaboration with Pakistan to rebuild momentum for the Diamer-Bhasha Dam project,” she said.

When asked if Mr Nides and Ambassador Rehman also discussed a US drone attack which killed a pro-Pakistan Taliban commander Maulvi Nazir on Thursday, Ms Nuland said: “I am not going to talk about intelligence issues at all from this podium.”

She also refused to say if the Pakistani government was consulted before the attack.