"First of all, I think, you have to go at economic and social roots of the instability in western Pakistan," US Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke told CNN in an interview.
Citing low economic and literacy indicators in the remote tribal areas he claimed "it is a breeding ground for the kind of rebellion which is now springing up." The diplomat said Pakistan is confronted with a "dangerous situation" in the facing of spreading militant influence.
For the first time Pakistan, India and the United States are facing "a common threat, a common challenge and a common task because of this," he stated. "So, we need more resources. Senator (John) Kerry (Democratic chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee) and (Ranking Republican) Senator (Richard) Lugar in the Senate and Congressman (Howard) Berman, chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs are putting in a bill for $1.5 billion dollars of aid for the next five years, each year.
"It should deal with the economic and social issues in the tribal areas." The Obama Administration pledged one billion dollars "in quick aid" at last week's Tokyo conference of Friends of Pakistan, he said, adding that the US assistance requires Congressional approval. On the military side, he said, Pakistan needs to strengthen its Frontier Corps and other security forces in counterinsurgency operations. He also pointed out the importance of winning the propaganda war against militants.
At the same time, Holbrooke acknowledged the complexity of the challenge facing Pakistan as he called it a "tremendous set of problems." The progress in fight against terrorists in Pakistani border areas is critical to stemming the tide of violence in Afghanistan, he argued.