Adeel
Founder
Pakistan's opposition leader says US President Barack Obama's policy only differs slightly from that pursued by his predecessor.
"Mr. Obama has now come up with a new policy with little changes, very minor changes as compared to the last policy," said Nawaz Sharif in an interview. "But I think the consultative process is better than it used to be during Mr. Bush's time."
The remarks come days after President Obama launched a new strategic partnership with Pakistan to fight al-Qaeda- and Taliban-linked insurgents in the troubled region.
President Obama described al-Qaeda and its allies as a "cancer that risks killing Pakistan from within", calling the Pakistan-Afghanistan border areas the "most dangerous place in the world".
Seven years after a US-led campaign toppled the Taliban in Afghanistan and sent militants to border areas with Pakistan, insurgency has gained ground in the tribal areas.
US officials believe militant activities in the troubled north-west mountainous region directly affect the streets of London and Washington.
Nawaz Sharif, a possible future prime minister, said that US president George W. Bush had helped promote terrorism by backing Pakistan's former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf.
"[Mr. Bush] gave blind support to Mr. Musharraf and he turned a blind eye to all the atrocities at home Mr. Musharraf committed in his eight-year dictatorial rule," the Financial Times quoted Sharif as saying.
The head of the PML-N -- the second largest political party in Pakistan -- said Bush was deaf to any advice and was opposed to Pakistan's return to democracy.
Sharif added that welfare and economic activities should be introduced in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan, as the people involved in militancy are "jobless people who have nothing to do."
A former prime minister, Sharif was removed from power in a bloodless military coup 10 years ago. He gained political momentum after the reversal of a decision that banned him from public office.
Critics claim Sharif and his right-wing allies are social conservatives who are reluctant to speak out against al-Qaeda and Taliban extremism.
source: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=90 ... =351020401
