‘Success in Afghanistan depends on Pak’s commitment`: Panetta

Islamabad: The success in Afghanistan is dependent on having a Pakistan that is ready to confront terrorism on their side, US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta has said.

The Pentagon released the transcript of Panetta’s presentation at the Centre for a New American Security, Washington, showing the US defence establishment wishes to rebuild its ties with Pakistan. According to the Dawn, Panetta was asked ‘what chance will the US strategy have to succeed in 2014 if more of the safe havens aren’t dealt with more stridently than they’ve been to date’. “Look, in many ways the success in Afghanistan is dependent on having a Pakistan that is willing to confront terrorism on their side of the border and prevent safe havens,” Panetta replied. According to the report, Panetta said that there were two factors that would determine whether the United States succeeds in achieving its objectives in Afghanistan, “Number one, we have to have an Afghanistan that can govern itself, that can move away from corruption, that can, in fact, have the capability to provide the kind of governance that you need in order to be able to truly secure that country and govern that country for the future,” he said. “The other is Pakistan because of the safe havens in Pakistan. And the ability of terrorist groups to move across that border and to attack in Afghanistan and, obviously, the challenge that that represents,” he added. ANI