It is in Pak interest to crackdown on terrorist groups: US
Tags:
Observing that Pakistan itself has been the chief victim of international terrorism, a top US official said it is in interest of Islamabad to crackdown on terrorist groups operating inside the country.
“President Obama was very clear that Pakistan itself has been the chief victim of international terrorism. And so it’s very much in its own interest to crack down on these groups, which increasingly are operating as a syndicate and it's very difficult to really distinguish between them,” Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Robert Blake said.
“But they’re also operating against American interests, not just in our homeland, but in places like Afghanistan and in the Mumbai attacks where six Americans were killed,” he said in response to a question.
Blake argued the US has been clear throughout that it has welcomed the steps that Pakistan has taken thus far in, places like the Swat Valley and South Waziristan.
“The President, the secretary of state and others have been very clear that those actions must continue, and — for example, there must be progress in places like North Waziristan and there must be progress against the Punjab-based groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, which pose a threat, not only to India, but to Pakistan itself,” he said.
Blake said Mr Obama had talked about the importance of Pakistan and the shared interests that US and India have in a stable and prosperous Pakistan during his three-day visit to India.
He said Mr Obama also talked of the need for Pakistan to take concrete steps to address the terrorism that is emanating from its soil and to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to justice as quickly as possible.
Post new comment