Washington: Dubbing north-western Pakistan
as "a real stew of terror," former US National Security
Adviser Stephen Headley has said Islamabad needs to do more
against extremist elements within its territory.
"What`s happening in northwest Pakistan, once again, it`s
troublesome," he told MSNBC news channel.
Headley was referring to the investigations following the
failed Times Square bomb attempt, which had revealed that
Pakistani Taliban was responsible for this.
Pakistani-American Faisal Shahzad, arrested for
the crime, had told investigating agencies that he received
the training in bomb making in Waziristan.
"I think what we`re finding now is certainly training
in Pakistan, maybe money. The issue is, was he directed by the
Taliban. They`re in the midst of that investigation," Headley
said.
"It`s a real stew of terror, and it does potentially
reach the United States. That`s the lesson we have to draw
from this, and that`s why it`s important that the Pakistani
authorities step up there," he said in response to a question.
His remarks came a day after Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton said that Pakistan needs to do more against terrorism.
Headley said there was a time two years ago when
terrorists in northwest Pakistan were really a problem for
American troops in Afghanistan.
But now, the terrorists are a threat to Pakistan itself,
he said. "And that`s why Afghans, Americans and Pakistanis
have an interest in getting control of this situation," he
said.
"We have to understand that they`re linked. You have to
solve Afghanistan to stabilise Pakistan. And you have to have
a stabilised Pakistan if we`re going to get a solution in
Afghanistan. These are linked, and the two countries need to
work together with us," Hadley argued.
On US-Afghan relations, Headley said obviously there were
strains between the United States and Afghanistan, the
administration here and in Kabul and between Presidents
Barack Obama and Hamid Karzai.
PTI
