US Deputy Secretary of State John D Negroponte arrives here today (Friday) to discuss the rising threat of the Taliban movement in the border areas of Pakistan and its impact on the security situation in Afghanistan. Sources, however, denied that senior US officials Richard Boucher and Negroponte were in Pakistan to help defuse the political and judicial crisis, saying that Negroponte’s visit had nothing to do with domestic issues, “though certain developments could be discussed in passing”. “The US is more concerned about Taliban encroachment on settled areas like Tank, Bannu and DI Khan. They are concerned that more than five years after the fall of the Taliban, Western forces are still faced with the uphill task of quelling the Taliban-led insurgency,” said the sources. They also said that US was concerned about the North Waziristan agreement.
Negroponte along with Boucher is scheduled to meet President Musharraf tomorrow (Saturday) and the “do more” demand would be part of the consultations, said the sources. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri will also leave for the US on June 17. Though officially it is said that Kasuri would meet Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, some western diplomats said that he would also give lengthy briefings to CIA officials on the Taliban and security related issues. |