Swat peace deal 'dead' : Holbrooke

Lahore, May 6 (ANI): The United States Special Envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke has termed the Swat peace deal as 'dead', the Daily Times reported.

Addressing the House Committee on Foreign Affairs in Washington, Holbrooke said Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari had already informed the United States that the accord, signed between the NWFP government and the Taliban, would not stand for long.

Holbrooke said Zardari himself was against the deal, but certain quarters in the country pressurized him to sign the deal.

Referring to the tripled financial aid that the United States would hand over to Pakistan soon, Holbrooke said Obama Administration might set certain yardsticks for Islamabad.

He rejected the notion that the benchmarks would affect the relationship between both the countries, which were already facing a trust-deficit.

Holbrooke said Pakistan and United States were facing similar threat, so both countries must also work together to thwart the challenge. (ANI)