'Pakistan, Afghanistan, US should work together against terrorism'

ISLAMABAD: US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman has underlined the need for Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States (US) to work together against terrorism.

In an interview with Tolo TV in Kabul, Ambassador Grossman said the number of Pakistani civilians, who have been killed in terrorist attacks, is just enormous as 19,000 of them have died since 2003.

He said, "Extremism and terrorism is a threat to Pakistan, and it's a threat to Afghanistan, and it's a threat to the United States. We ought to, all three of our countries, be able to work together to try to deal with this problem."

He said one of the things that were happening between Pakistan and the United States was that both were trying to have a conversation about how to get interests shared and then act on them together.

"What we continue to talk about is the need for engagement between the United States and Pakistan. And if I might add, also the need for engagement between Pakistan and Afghanistan."

Ambassador Grossman said the United States is trying to have a relationship with Pakistan to see if both countries can identify shared interests and then act on them together.

Pakistan has some very important work to do in the anti- terrorism area, he said adding, "extremism and terrorism is a threat to Pakistan, and we ought all to be working together to try to deal with this question."

Grossman said it strikes him while talking to people in Pakistan -- parliamentarians, members of civil society -- that they recognize that terrorism and extremism are a threat against them.

"A large number of Pakistani civilians have died in this fight, and large number of Pakistani military personnel has died in this fight as well," he added.

Grossman said Pakistan and the United States actually have collaborated extremely effectively on the question of al-Qaeda.

President Obama has said on a number of occasions that "We have killed and captured more al-Qaida terrorists in Pakistan than in any other country in the world," he said adding, Obama said the other night that action against Al-Qaida would not have happened without the efforts between Pakistan and the United States.

He said President Obama, Secretary Hillary Clinton and Admiral Mullen in their statements agreed that US has to continue to engage with Pakistan.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011