US reaching out to former Pak PM Nawaz Sharif

As US confidence in the Pakistan government wanes, the Obama administration is reaching out to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the main rival of President Asif Ali Zardari.  

With Taliban and other terror groups becoming emboldened within Pakistan, the Obama administration officials feel that opening ties with Sharif could be useful to confront the stiffening challenge by insurgents, New York times reported quoting Obama administration officials.  

"The move reflects the heightened concern in the Obama administration about the survivability of the the Zardari Government," the paper said.  

Quoting administration officials, the paper said General David H Petraeus, the Chief of the US CENTCOM had said in recent private meeting in Washington that Pakistan's government is increasingly vulnerable.  

The newspaper said because of his ties with Islamists, the US government had long held Sharif at arm's length.  But now some Obama officials feel that building up ties with Sharif could be useful in helping Zardari's government to confront the Taliban.  

US officials and lawmakers have been highly critical of recent peace deals reached with the Taliban in Swat and have been putting intense pressure on Islamabad to take steps to flush out the extremists.