Improved relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan is good for India, as well as good for the region, Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano said on Monday.
“The improved United States relationship with Pakistan is good for India, because it is good for the region,” she told PTI.
“We welcome and encourage better relations between India and Pakistan. Because the bottom line is since 9/11, attacks on the U.S., Pakistan has been a good counter-terrorism partner with us and India has been a good counter-terrorism partner with us,” Ms. Napolitano said.
She, however, said al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, who was shot dead on May 2 by special U.S. forces in Abbottabad, must be enjoying some kind of support network inside Pakistan.
“The United States thinks that there has to be some kind of support network for bin Laden inside Pakistan. We do not know, who and what that support network was. We do not know there might have been people inside the government or who were directly involved,” Ms. Napolitano said.
“That is something for investigations and importantly that is something that the Pakistani Government needs to investigate and investigate thoroughly. They have already indicated to us that they have an interest in finding out what kind of support networks that bin Laden have had and we are encouraging them to pursue that very aggressively,” she said.
Published - May 23, 2011 02:44 pm IST
