Pat Dollard | Young Americans

Fuckin’ pissed off Indians burn Pakistani President Asif ( As if?) Zardari in absentius effigious

ISLAMABAD, Dec. 3 (Kyodo)—Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. joint chiefs of staff, on Wednesday met with Pakistani President Asif Zardari as part of the U.S. efforts to defuse tensions between Pakistan and India in the wake of last week’s terrorist attacks in Mumbai, official sources said.

The sources said Mullen emphasized in his meeting with Zardari that defusing tension between Pakistan and India is necessary for peace and stability in the region.

Indian and U.S. officials have implicated Pakistani-based groups in last week’s three-day terrorist attacks killed nearly 200 people in India’s financial capital.

Zardari is thought to have also expressed concern over missile attacks by U.S. drones on militants in Pakistan’s tribal belt along the border with Afghanistan, which have been fanning anti-U.S. feelings among Pakistanis.

Before meeting with Zardari, Mullen met with top Pakistani generals Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and Tariq Majid.

Pakistan’s army has warned that if tensions with India further mount, it would be constrained to withdraw 100,000 troops from its border with Afghanistan to deploy on the border with India.

Mullen’s arrival in Islamabad came on the heels of a visit to New Delhi of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for talks with the Indian leaders on situation emerging from the Mumbai attacks.

Rice is scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on Thursday for talks with Pakistan government leaders.

U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters Tuesday that Washington wants the Pakistanis to remain focused on efforts on fighting terrorism in the tribal areas of the country.

But he stressed that it is also important that Pakistan gives its full, complete and transparent cooperation with the investigation into the Mumbai attacks.

“What we need to do is to ratchet up our cooperation. We need Pakistan first and foremost to investigate — be a part of this investigation of the attacks…(and) follow any lead no matter where it goes,” he said.