WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama will meet Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari at the White House on Friday amid growing US pressure for Islamabad to step up its fight against Islamic militants.
Zardari will be in Washington to attend a memorial service on Friday for veteran diplomat Richard Holbrooke, Obama’s envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Holbrooke died last month.
The White House talks announced on Thursday follow a visit to Pakistan and Afghanistan by Vice President Joe Biden, who said Islamabad needed to do more against militants who were using Pakistani territory for cross-border attacks on US-led forces in Afghanistan.
Washington sees Pakistani cooperation as a linchpin to show progress in a long, unpopular war in Afghanistan and meet its timeline of starting to withdraw some of the almost 100,000 US troops from the country in July.
Experts warn against pushing Pakistan too hard to crack down on Taliban and al Qaeda border sanctuaries as it grapples with its own political turmoil and internal threats.
Obama can be expected to keep leaning on Zardari while seeking to try to avoid further strains in relations.
“The two leaders will discuss aspects of the US and Pakistan’s strategic partnership, including our mutual commitment to economic reforms, support for democracy and good governance and joint efforts to combat terrorism,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters. – Reuters
