Pak-US do not need joint command against Taliban, Al-Qaeda: Qureshi

South East Asia News.Net
Wednesday 2nd December, 2009 (ANI)

London, Dec.2 : Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that Pakistan and the US do not need a joint command as far as taking action against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda is concerned.

Highlighting the need for enhanced cooperation between Islamabad and Washington, Qureshi told a British news agency that the Obama administration should consult Pakistan on its Afghan policy, failing which more trouble would be created for Islamabad.

Replying to a question, Qureshi reiterated Pakistan's demand for unmanned aircrafts so that it could target extremist hideouts on its own, and maintained that the US missile strikes were proving counterproductive.

Qureshi said Pakistan is concerned about the negative implications of the new US strategy policy for Afghanistan and wanted better coordination between the US and the Pakistan Army, The Nation reports.

It worth mentioning here that the US President Barack Obama has announced sending n additional 30,000 American troops to Afghanistan by next summer. He also said that he plans to have all surviving American troops back home by July 2011.

Announcing the new Afghanistan strategy at the United States Military Academy Obama said: "As Commander-in-Chief, I have determined that it is in our vital national interest to send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan. After 18 months, our troops will begin to come home. These are the resources that we need to seize the initiative, while building the Afghan capacity that can allow for a responsible transition of our forces out of Afghanistan."

Obama sought to reassure NATO allies and the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan that he was not abandoning the war effort, while pressurising them to make sure they hold up their end of the bargain.

Email this story to a friend

Comments on this story

Have your say on this story