Pak will hunt down all terrorists: Qureshi

Islamabad, Aug.17 (ANI): Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has vowed to eliminate all terrorists from every part of the country, even as the United States assured Islamabad of its continued support in tackling the challenges it faced.

Addressing a joint press conference with US President Barack Obama's Special Envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, Qureshi said both Islamabad and Washington are agreement that the Swat operation against the Taliban has been a success.

"The Pakistani government has a very clear strategy .. we will go to every area to clear our territory of terrorists," the Daily Times quoted Qureshi, as saying.

He made it clear that the government is determined to re-establish the writ of the state in every troubled area, and added that he had conveyed to the US, Islamabad's concern over "the perpetual flow of weapons and money from Afghanistan into Pakistan to breed militancy".

Qureshi also called on the US to step forward to help Pakistan overcome economic challenges.

On his part, Holbrooke said Pakistan's progress against the Taliban had allowed the two sides to discuss other issues.

He said the US was very impressed with troops' success against the Taliban.

Stating that the Taliban were now on the defensive, Holbrooke said Washington has shifted its focus "very substantially" towards the South Asian ally's economy and energy sector.

"Today, energy is our primary focus. Of course, we [also] talked about several other things," he said. "We shifted the focus deliberately and consciously to .. the economy, and above all, the energy crisis."

Holbrooke is expected announce energy projects when he visits Karachi.

About India's alleged involvement in fanning an insurgency in Balochistan through Afghanistan, Holbrooke said the Balochistan issue was of considerable importance, and he had talked to both Pakistan and Afghanistan. (ANI)