Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has dismissed growing criticism in Washington about Pakistan’s war on terror, claiming that some members of the Congress and the US media have little understanding of the situation in his country.
In an interview to The Guardian, Zardari said the conflict in Afghanistan was destabilising Pakistan and undermining efforts to restore democracy. Asked about harsh criticism of Pakistan’s co-operation in the “war on terror” published in a White House report last week, Zardari said Pakistan always listened to Washington’s views. But he suggested some members of Congress and the media did not know what they were talking about.
He said, “The US has been an ally of Pakistan for the last 60 years. We respect and appreciate their political system. So every time a new parliament comes in, new boys come in, new representatives come in, it takes them time to understand the international situation...Not Obama, but the Congress, interest groups and the media get affected by ‘deadline-itis’ [over ending the Afghan war]”.
