Pak finds passing reference in Obama's security strategy

Pakistan today found a passing reference in the National Security Strategy unveiled by the US President Barack Obama, a far cry from the 2010 report that devoted considerable space to the strife-torn country.
Obama made a passing reference to Pakistan twice in his latest National Security Strategy (NSS) report, one in the context of peace talks in Afghanistan and other in the context of South and Central Asia.
"We will continue to work with both India and Pakistan to promote strategic stability, combat terrorism, and advance regional economic integration in South and Central Asia," said the NSS report, which was sent to the Congress today.

"We will also work with the countries of the region, including Pakistan, to mitigate the threat from terrorism and to support a viable peace and reconciliation process to end the violence in Afghanistan and improve regional stability," said the report running into more than 30 pages.
This was in sharp contrast to the 2010 NSS report - where Pakistan was the focus of the document - in the context of war against terrorism and had described Af-Pak region as the epicenter of violent extremism.
"Disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al-Qaida and its violent extremist affiliates in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and around the world," was one of the sub-topics running into more than three pages.

The 2010 NSS had described Afghanistan and Pakistan as the frontline of the fight against terrorism where the US is applying relentless pressure on al-Qaida, breaking the Taliban's momentum, and strengthening the security and capacity of its partners.
"We will foster a relationship with Pakistan, founded upon mutual interests and mutual respect, to defeat violent extremists who threaten both of our countries. We will strengthen Pakistan's capacity to target violent extremists within its borders, and continue to provide security assistance to support those efforts," the 2010 document had said.
"The strategic partnership that we are developing with Pakistan includes deepening cooperation in a broad range of areas, addressing both security and civilian challenges, and we will continue to expand those ties through our engagement with Pakistan in the years to come," it said.