New York: The United States should convince Pakistanis that it is in their own interest to defeat terrorism and demand systematic targeting of Taliban leadership within the country, a leading US-based think tank has said, but argued against linking American aid to the anti-terror efforts by Islamabad.

A new report produced by Carnegie Endowment's Senior Associate Ashley J Tellis opposes making US aid conditional on Pakistan's performance in the war on terror, arguing that it would only "inflame" public opinion and embarrass moderate Pakistanis who cooperated with Washington.

Tellis other suggestions include assisting Pakistan with technology and training to critical border points, linking counter-terrorism support funds to specific tasks rather than simply reimbursing Islamabad, doubling US aid to Afghanistan and asking NATO to meet its security obligations and commit to combat operations in southern and eastern Afghanistan.

Observing that President Pervez Musharraf's move to step down as army chief might assuage some tensions in the embattled nation, the report stressed that the resurgence of al-Qaeda and Taliban both in and around Pakistan pose an enormous security threat and "reflects the greatest reversal suffered by the United States since operations against them began in 2001."

Source : PTI