Pakistan Faces Threat From Terrorism, Not India, Petraeus Says

The greatest threat facing Pakistan comes from terrorism, not India, U.S. 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 U.S. after the Cold War, Petraeus said in a speech at Harvard University yesterday, 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.
The Obama administration is pressing Pakistan`s President Asif Ali Zardari to do more to tackle al-Qaeda and Taliban militants sheltering in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last month that tensions with India over the divided Himalayan region of Kashmir were diverting Pakistan from the fight against extremism.
India realizes the “desirability of reducing tensions” so Pakistan can focus its efforts on combating terrorists, Petraeus told reporters later.
The five-year peace process between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors has been stalled since gunmen killed 166 people in India`s financial hub, Mumbai, in November. India blamed the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba for the assault.
`9/11 Moment`
The Mumbai attack “was a true 9/11 moment” for India, Petraeus said, adding the government in New Delhi “displayed considerable restraint.”
Kashmir, claimed by India and Pakistan, triggered two of the three wars the nations fought since independence in 1947.
The flashpoint has forced Pakistan to maintain a two-front military strategy that is diverting troops from fighting the Taliban and al-Qaeda, Mullen told Pentagon reporters March 27.
Many members of Pakistan`s government recognize that extremist elements pose a threat to its authority and must be brought under control, Petraeus said.
Terrorism has cost Pakistan $35 billion in economic losses and damage to infrastructure, according to the government in Islamabad. More than 3,500 terrorist incidents have occurred since 2007, killing an average of 84 people per month this year.