The top US intelligence chief held meetings with Pakistani-Americans as the United States expands its drone attacks on militants in the South Asian nation, his office said Wednesday. Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair held the roundtable discussion on Tuesday with Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani as part of an effort to boost the recruitment and retention of Pakistani-Americans in US intelligence agencies.

"We need you to help us build a better relationship between the United States and Pakistan," Blair said during the meeting, according to remarks released by his office. He also stressed the "common threat" both countries face. US President Barack Obama has put Pakistan at the heart of his administration's fight against al Qaeda and Taliban militants.

Among the gathering's participants were two dozen business leaders, college students and federal employees with Pakistani roots. Blair's office said the meeting delved into "past problems of mistrust," the role of the media and "the rise of religious extremism in Pakistan."

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2010