Pakistan

Be firm with Pakistan on extremism: Miliband

Milband calls on the US along with Pakistan's neighbours to keep trying to engage politically and economically.

Afp April 30, 2011

WASHINGTON: Western powers must be firm with Pakistan about its need to crack down on extremists, but there is no alternative to continuing to work directly with Islamabad, British lawmaker David Miliband said Friday.

Miliband, foreign secretary from 2007 until Britain's Labour Party lost power last year, voiced alarm at what he called the influence inside Pakistani society of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a militant group blamed for the deadly 2008 siege of Mumbai.

"We should be engaging with Pakistan; on the other hand, I feel very comfortable speaking very plainly about the responsibilities that they have," Miliband said at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington.

Pakistan needs to do more to hold assailants for the Mumbai attack accountable and if Lashkar-e-Taiba is expanding its reach, "then we need to be even more insistent on the need to roll up that infrastructure," he said.

But Miliband, who said he would soon travel to Pakistan, called on the United States along with the South Asian nation's neighbours to keep trying to engage both politically and economically.

"One of the most chilling things I've heard and read over the last few months is that America has a choice about whether or not to sever its links with Pakistan," Miliband said.

"Because if you think it difficult, frustrating, enervating, dangerous dealing with Pakistan at the moment as a partner, try fulfilling your own interests in South Asia without Pakistan as a partner," he said.

Miliband welcomed a letter sent by President Barack Obama to his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari in late 2009, in which the US leader offered expanded cooperation but demanded Islamabad do more against militants in India and Afghanistan.

"It was a very important step, proposing a strategic relationship for the US and Pakistan to replace the unbalanced - essentially military-only relationship, individual leader-based relationship - of the past," he said.

"I have criticised the Pakistani government for the way in which it failed adequately to respond to the significance of the outreach," he said.

COMMENTS (15)

sumeet | 13 years ago | Reply it will be generous on the part of mr. milliband to advise US take some firm action to win the trust of indians.you can't step on two different boat and want to maintain balance.either you are with us or with them.US need to shed its double standard and make south asia policy clear.

Pulpfiction | 13 years ago | Reply @David Salmon....With the US credit outlook changed to negative by S&P and with the continued advances of the Taliban I doubt it if the US or Nato will remain in Afghanistan after 2016. This is an un-winnable war; the Russians found out after 10 years and they didn't have to get their supplies through a third country. The Afghan people despise the US and NATO forces and consider them as occupation forces that have killed and maimed thousands of innocent civilians. I am sorry this was a badly thought idea to begin with and other than initial success its been a continued failure.

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David Salmon | 13 years ago | Reply @NA: Hate to disappoint you, but the US is not withdrawing from Afghanistan any time soon. Obama may make a token withdrawal, but the main force will continue to hit the Taliban and to train Afghan forces until the Taliban have no choice but to yield to the superior power of the Afghan government. We cannot allow the terrorists to regroup, reestablish control, and to hit us again. That is bedrock reality, and something most Pakistanis do not take into account. ISI's "strategic hope" that Afghanistan will revert to the status quo ante after the Americans leave is a pipe dream.

Pulpfiction | 13 years ago | Reply cant wait for the US, UK and India to get the hell out of Afghanistan ---- it is these three countries that are the source of violence in Afghanistan. The Afghan Taliban are freedom fighters fighting against foreign occupation forces. Why dont the citizens of India, US and UK understand that the people of Afghanistan are fighting a war of imperialism!

Genius | 13 years ago | Reply Why is there is there NO violence and bloodshed in Vietnam today as can be seen happening in Swat, Waziristan, border areas of Afghanistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan? Why? The terrorists who brought their religion of violence and bloodshed to Vietnam have been thrown out of Vietnam. So the violence and bloodshed in Afghanistan, Swat, Waziristan, border areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan will disaappear only and only when all the people of the region will join hands together to do exactly the same as to what the gallant Vietnamese people had to do, and did with success.

Cautious | 13 years ago | Reply Western powers must be firm with Pakistan about its need to crack down on extremists The whole world must be firm with Pakistan and demand that it end it's support of extremism.

vasan | 13 years ago | Reply Looks like the screws are getting tightened on Pakistan, diplomatic and economic

Atheist, India | 13 years ago | Reply I am sure Pakistan is the most talked about country in the world. FYI - this is not a compliment.

pl/sql | 13 years ago | Reply Someone finally knocked some sense into Miliband. The last time he was in India, he uttered gibberish.

Hedgefunder | 13 years ago | Reply @NA: They are not so much as fooling their own public! This is more a case, where their partner's level of Deceit, Lies and Self denials about the mess and other going ons in their own back yard, has finally been realised by their partners, and pretty disappointed to say the least!!!! This is the main reason, that Pakistan is getting cold shoulder, from most of these countries and NATO Member states too! Its Time Govt and Army of Pakistan come to terms with this Fact. It may work some of the time, but can not work all the time!!!

Imme | 13 years ago | Reply wow US's blonde UK speaking out

ashok sai | 13 years ago | Reply Miliband makes direct references to 'Lashkar-e-Taiba', Mumbai attacks and Pakistan responsibilities to take action. Well done Mr.Miliband.

NA | 13 years ago | Reply A systematic jingle by US and now by his partner UK against Pakistan at this specific time when withdrawl from Afg is very near nothing but fooling US/ UK public back home for their own failure.

moise | 13 years ago | Reply @faraz: Last one was done MI6 false flag operation to further destabilize Pakistan with farce war on terror.

faraz | 13 years ago | Reply One more blast in UK, and thousands of Pakistanis will be thrown out.

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