| GEO World | | US must help strengthen Pakistani govt.: WH paper | Updated at: 1456 PST, Saturday, March 28, 2009
WASHINGTON: The United State should help strengthen civilian democratic Pakistani government, assist with helicopters, night vision equipment and economic support as part of the overall effort to back the country in rooting out al-Qaeda militants from its border areas with Afghanistan, a White House paper released with the announcement of the U.S. strategy toward the region recommends.
Named "White Paper of the Interagency Policy Group's Report on U.S. Policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan," it emphasizes that engaging and focusing Islamabad on common threat (for both countries) will include 'successfully shutting down the safe haven for extremists' and will also require consistent and intensive strategic engagement with Pakistani leadership in both the civilian and military spheres.
"The engagement must be conducted in a way that respects, and indeed enhances, democratic civilian authority," the White Paper stresses.
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