Several US lawmakers today questioned the sincerity of Pakistan in taking action against terrorist groups existing on its soil, with one of them alleging that the country is simply doing lip service.
"Pakistan gives lip service to doing something about it (taking action against terrorists). I am not convinced that Pakistan is engaged in helping defeat the Taliban," Republican Congressman Ted Poe said at a Congressional hearing on Afghanistan convened by the House Committee on International Affairs.
America's top diplomat and commander of its forces in Afghanistan testified before the committee.
"Having been on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and talking to just regular troops, just my opinion is that the Pakistan government isn't doing enough to ratchet up protecting their side of the border," Poe said.
General Stanley McChrystal, Commander of the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said the long-term way ahead is with a strategic partnership with Pakistan.
"They are absolutely focused against the TTP or Pakistani Taliban, internal to Pakistan. They have not focused on the Afghan Taliban that use sanctuaries," he said.
