Pakistan faces threat from terrorism, not India: US General Petraeus

Wednesday, April 22, 2009 at 11:39 am

Pakistan faces threat from terrorism, not India: US General Petraeus WASHINGTON: The greatest threat facing Pakistan comes from terrorism, not India, US Army General David Petraeus said, as he called on the government in Islamabad to change its mindset toward its neighbor.

The shift in thinking that should take place in Pakistan is similar to what happened in the US after the Cold War, Petraeus said in a speech at Harvard University, adding America had grown “comfortable” facing off against the Soviet Union.

“The existential threat” facing Pakistan “is internal extremists and not India,” Petraeus, who commands American Forces in the Middle East and Central Asia, said in the speech at the Kennedy School of Government.

India realizes the “desirability of reducing tensions” so Pakistan can focus its efforts on combating terrorists, Petraeus told reporters later.