[Dawn] Pakistain on Friday called for a "common counterterrorism strategy against the common enemy," as Interior Minister Rehman MalikPak politician, Interior Minister under the Gilani government. Malik is a former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) intelligence officer who rose to head the FIA during Benazir Bhutto's second tenure. Malik was tossed from his FIA job in 1998 after documenting the breath-taking corruption of the Sharif family. By unhappy coincidence Nawaz Sharif became PM at just that moment and Malik moved to London one step ahead of the button men. He had to give up the interior ministry job because he held dual Brit citizenship.
conveyed Islamabad's concerns to senior US officials on drone strikes in the tribal areas.
"We have a common enemy and we must have a common strategy to fight this enemy -- Pakistain is committed with the international community in this fight -and we will hit them hard," Malik said, standing alongside US Special envoy Marc Grossman after their meeting.
At the same time, Malik acknowledged in a media interaction that there are reservations on the two sides, despite the fact that both have been victims of terror and have been fighting common enemy in Orcs and similar vermin along the Afghan border.
"Our side has conveyed our concerns regarding drone attacks -- the people of Pakistain have been voicing this and we hope that this voice of the people of Pakistain will be heard," said the minister.
The interior minister, during his two-day visit, is scheduled to meet Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as
Another Frederick T. Frelinghuysen...
, Secretary Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and FBI Director Robert Mueller and discuss counterterrorism cooperation in a working group meeting with the US officials.
Grossman, who is US special representative for Pakistain and Afghanistan, and Malik also discussed the issue of combating improvised explosives devices, which have killed soldiers on both sides.
Malik said Pakistain is implementing a national counter-IED strategy to curb the cross-border movement of material ammonium nitrade, which is also used in fertilizers -- that Orcs and similar vermin use in the devices and has succeeded considerably.
"We have taken every possible measure -- we are an agrarian country, and fertilizers are important. What we have done we have regulated the movement of fertilizers -- we have also strengthened the (relevant) Punishment Act -- so administrative and all other steps are being taken."
Grossman for his part recognized the sacrifices Pakistain has made in fighting terror. "Americans recognize who are victims of terrorism --the Americans are victims but so many Paks have bit the dust, so many have given their lives fighting terrorism so this issue of counterterrorism is very important between the United States and Pakistain," Grossman said.
At the meeting with Grossman, the interior minister was accompanied at the meeting by Najibullah Khan Additional Secretary Interior, bigwigs and diplomats including Faruk Amil DG Foreign Affairs and Deputy chef de mission in Washington Asad Majid Khan. Director Pakistain Affairs Tim Lenderking assisted Marc Grossman.