'NATO, Pak should jointly fight terrorism'

Islamabad, Jan 23: NATO has asked Pakistan to put in more efforts and greater action to stop the infiltration of terrorists into Afghanistan.

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has said there is a need for stronger co-operation between NATO and Pakistan in the fight against terror in the region.

"We need stronger operational co-operation. ISAF forces on the Afghan side of the border can and will be stepped up this year," the Daily Times quoted Scheffer, as saying.

He however, admitted that security forces have suffered hugely while fighting extremism and militancy in the tribal areas along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, but hoped that the forces will ultimately thwart terrorism from the region.

"I believe that we can all do more and we can all do better, NATO very much included," Scheffer said.

Earlier, in a meeting with the NATO chief Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari had expressed that the root cause of rising extremism in the tribal areas is the lack overall development of the region.

Zardari stressed on the need of education and industrialisation in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) which would distract people from turning to extremism for a livelihood.

He urged the international community to provide the country with more aid to fight the menace of terrorism.

"Social-economic development and education would eliminate the causes of terrorism.

There is a need for greater global co-operation for industrialisation in FATA," Zardari said.

ANI