Terrorism has awful support within Pak: Volker

Islamabad, Mar. 15 (ANI): United States Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker has said there is "an awful lot of support for the insurgency" in Pakistan, which enabled terrorists to launch attacks on Mumbai, assassinate Benazir Bhutto and attack the Marriott Hotel.

"Obviously the extremists have strong bases inside Pakistan. They have been able to attack the Marriott Hotel [in Islamabad]. They've assassinated Benazir Bhutto. They are able to launch attacks from there on Mumbai. So there is an awful lot of support for the insurgency and for the extremists in Pakistan. And for the government and the military to be able to get a handle on that is very, very difficult," the Daily Times quoted Volker, as saying.

Talking to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) at its Prague headquarters, Volker said the emphasis of the international community was broadening and it was looking at both Afghanistan and Pakistan as a whole.

"We need to look at the border area of Afghanistan and Pakistan together. The extremists cross the border regularly in order to put pressure on either Afghanistan or Pakistan. So we have to look at that region as a whole. That means doing our job in Afghanistan and working with the Afghan government there but also helping support the Pakistani government in its efforts to deal with extremist violence inside the country," Volker said.

Volker said Pakistan needed "a great deal of support" to fight militancy within its territory.

"I think that the emphasis that people are placing on helping Pakistan build the right kind of structures to support its own institutions, to support security in Pakistan, to support these regions [the Tribal Areas], I think that emphasis is growing. It is difficult.

He also said President Barack Obama's administration was making all efforts to make the Afghan war a success and was devising a new strategy for a way forward. (ANI)