New York : NATO Secretary General has called on Western governments to continue to work with Pakistan against Islamic extremists, as the United States and Pakistan trade thinly-veiled critiques of each other's operations.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that despite questions raised by the killing of al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil, he saw "no alternative" to co-operating with Pakistan in the war against terrorism.
In a speech to the World Affairs Council in Atlanta, the head of the 28-nation Western military alliance expressed appreciation for the efforts so far by Pakistan's military to fight Islamic militants in its border region with Afghanistan. "But I think more could be done," Rasmussen said. "Weshould support those forces in Pakistan that realize that the real threat against the Pakistani society comes from terrorism and extremism," he added.
He spoke after Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani rejected allegations that the killing of bin Laden showed Pakistani incompetence or complicity in hiding the al Qaeda leader. NATO secretary general acknowledged the revelation that bin Laden apparently had been hiding in Pakistan for several years raised "a lot of questions that have to be answered."
But he said he was confident Pakistan's own government was interested in finding convincing answers tothese questions. "My bottom line is that we need strong co-operation with Pakistan. If we are to assure long-term peace and stability in Afghanistan and beyond, then we need positive engagement with Pakistan," Rasmussen stressed. PPI
