'US wants Pakistan to launch operation in North Waziristan'

Munter says he would leave the Pakistan Army to decide when to launch an operation.

ISLAMABAD:

US ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter said on Friday that the US wants Pakistan to launch a military operation in North Waziristan soon.

Addressing the media in Islamabad, the US ambassador said he would leave the Pakistan Army to decide when to launch such an operation.

The army has assured the United States that they will take action in North Waziristan at the right time.

Answering a question, he said that the US will not object to any civil nuclear deal between Pakistan and China if it abides by international rules of civil nuclear agreements. He added that the US had recently made a civil nuclear deal with India and the chances of such a deal with Pakistan cannot be ruled out. Munter said that the Pakistan Army has done a great job in curbing militancy.

Pakistan has long been under pressure by the US to launch a military offensive in North Waziristan. The Foreign Office however has denied being under US pressure to launch an offensive in the northwestern region which the US calls a 'hub of militant activity', saying that the operation will be launched only if it is in Pakistan's 'interest'.

Last month, The Express Tribune reported that the government had authorised Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani to take a final decision on when and how to launch a military operation in the North Waziristan tribal region.