US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke rounded off his first tour of the region, emphasising the need for cooperation between New Delhi and Islamabad.
India, Pakistan and the US must work together against the virus of religious fundamentalism and extremist politics of the Taliban and al Qaeda, which are threatening not just the region but the entire international community.
US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke rounded off his first tour of the region with a stopover in India, where he emphasised the need for cooperation between New Delhi and Islamabad. The US, it now appears, has not just urged the two nations to work together but has also worked quietly behind the scenes to get their intelligence agencies to share sensitive information on the Mumbai carnage.
The Washington Post carried a front-page story on the CIA getting the two agencies to work together.
Holbrooke spoke frankly of the US concern over the situation in the Swat region of Pakistan which has been overrun by the Taliban-al-Qaeda forces and where the Zardari government has virtually no control. The Pakistan president himself spoke of the very real danger of radical religious elements taking control of his country.
“But I do want to underscore the fact that Swat demonstrates a key point that India, the US and Pakistan have a common threat now. For the first time in 60 years since independence, your country, Pakistan and the US all face an enemy which causes direct threats to our leadership, our capitals and our people,” Holbrooke told reporters soon after meeting foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee.
The special envoy, however, refused to comment on the ceasefire in Swat between the Taliban and the Pakistan government, saying he did not have enough information and had to be briefed by the US ambassador to Pakistan to know the real picture.
“Swat has really deeply affected the people of Pakistan, not just those in Peshawar but in Lahore and Islamabad as well. The ceasefire came when I was travelling. So, I have no additional information,” Holbrooke said.
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