Next US leader must revamp Pak policy

WASHINGTON - As Pakistan intensifies action against extremists, an experts report says the next US President must revamp policy toward its ally, mixing deft diplomacy, security support and economic aid to help the country defeat a grave threat from extremists.
Pakistan Policy Working Group, a bi-partisan group of about a dozen experts on US-Pakistan relations, said the nuclear-armed country of 160 million people could pose the ‘single greatest challenge’ for the next US President.
The group, which was formed in January this year, observes in the report that emergence of democratically elected govt in Pakistan and the upcoming November 4 US Presidential elections offer an opportunity to formulate policies and manage the ‘exceedingly important’ relationship between the two countries.
‘Washington needs to rethink its entire approach to Pakistan’, said the report. ‘We must be much smarter about how we work with Pakistan, with whom we work, and what sort of assistance we provide’, it added.
The report said last month’s bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad showed that US options were diminishing rapidly and there was no time to lose. It also warned that increased US missile attacks on targets inside Pakistan, reflecting impatience with Islamabad, are counter-productive.
A review of policies toward Pakistan, recipient of $11 billion in mostly military aid from the US since the September 11, 2001, attacks, should begin with updating the National Intelligence Estimate on the country to form a strategic plan for all US govt agencies, it said.
The 43-page report sets out recommendations for new US policies in the areas of Pakistani domestic politics, counter-terrorism and domestic security, regional relationships and US aid to Pakistan.In the domestic arena, the US needs to be patient with the new elected govt, help build up democratic institutions and support broad reforms, it said.