Obama’s top security aides to tell Pak to shun its ‘India-centric’ policies

ISLAMABAD - Two of US President Barack Obama’s top security advisors, the National Security Advisor General James Jones and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Leon Panetta, who are in Islamabad to press the Gilani government ‘do more’ in the botched Times Square bombing plot investigations, are also likely to deliver Obama’s message that the Pakistan government must do away with its India centric policy.

According to a top Pakistani official, who spoke on conditions of anonymity, during their meeting with country’s military and civilian leaderships, the US delegation is likely to instruct Islamabad to shun its India-centric approach and focus more on the ‘war on terror’, The Daily Times reports.

The official said that while the agenda of talks would pivot around the Times Square bombing plot, the top US officials will raise some other important issues as well.

In the recent past, Washington has sent several blunt messages to Islamabad warning of ’severe consequences’ if any future terror attack on the US is traced back to Pakistan.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had also admitted that the bungled New York terror plot had soured the relationship between both countries.

Since the Times Square incident, the US has been demanding that Pakistan initiate a military offensive in the terror hot bed North Waziristan without wasting much time.

However, during a meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and the Army Chief General Pervaz Kayani, which was held last week, it was decided that Islamabad would not bow down to any pressure from the White House. (ANI)