US military chief nominee: ‘India is not Pakistan’s top enemy’

WASHINGTON: The nominee to be the next chief uniformed officer of the US military pledged on Tuesday to press Pakistan to rein in extremists, saying that the war partner falsely considered India to be its top enemy. General Martin Dempsey, answering questions from senators at his confirmation hearing, said that he would urge Pakistan not to eliminate the safe haven enjoyed by militants in its areas bordering Afghanistan. Dempsey told the Senate Armed Forces Committee that he will “continue to work with Pakistan to reduce the safe haven on the (Pakistan-Afghanistan) border.”  “As you know, they persist in the idea that India poses an existential threat to their existence while the terrorists that operate with some impunity in North West Frontier Province and FATA are less of a threat to them, and therefore they allocate their resources accordingly,” he said, referring to two parts of Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 27^th,  2011.