India, Pakistan and US surrounded by common enemy: Holbrooke

August 20th, 2009 KARACHI - US Special Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, who is currently on a visit to Pakistan, has said his visit has nothing to do with the Indo-Pak problem, and that he is not in Pakistan to negotiate on the Kashmir issue. In an interview to a private television channel, Holbrooke said it was upto India and Pakistan to resolve the issue bilaterally.

August 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US is keeping New Delhi informed about its policies in Afghanistan-Pakistan region as it looks at India as a "dominant power" in South Asia, a major factor in the region. "The Indians are a major factor in the region.

August 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke on Thursday said the Obama administration is keeping New Delhi posted about its policies on Afghanistan and Pakistan. Speaking on the situation prevailing in Afghanistan and Pakistan at a meeting organised by the Centre for American Progress, Holbrooke described India as a dominant power of South Asia Holbrooke said improving Indo-US relations has been a continual goal of the last three US administrations and opined that all of them had been successful in that.

July 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke said on Wednesday that Pakistani had brought up the issue of India's alleged involvement in Balochistan, but did not give any credible evidence to support their claim. Last week, Holbrooke paid a visit to the Pakistan and held discussion with leaders of that country.

July 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Raising questions over the success of the Swat military offensive, US Special Envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke has said it is unclear whether the Taliban has really been hit hard in the operation. Talking to media persons after returning from his visit to Pakistan and Afghanistan here, Holbrooke said Washington is yet to ascertain whether scores of Taliban insurgents are actually being killed, as claimed by the Pakistan Army, or have they just scattered away only to recoil later.

July 22nd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - US special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke on Wednesday said that former President Pervez Musharraf is now history and that the US will not come to defend him. Talking to media here, Holbrooke termed Musharraf's case as Pakistan's internal issue, and added that the US respects Pakistan's judiciary and free press.

July 22nd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - US special envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke on Wednesday announced that the US would extend further aid of 165 million dollars for the displaced persons in Pakistan. Addressing a news conference along with State Minister for Finance Hina Rabbani Khar, the US envoy said from the above aid 40 million dollars will be for infrastructure development in the affected areas of Malakand; 2.5 millions for reconstruction of houses; 30 millions for small schemes and; 3 million dollars for repatriation of the IDPs.

July 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - On the heels of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to India, Richard Holbrooke, US special envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan, will stop in India next week on a trip to the region. The Obama administration had put "intensive focus on the challenge in South Asia," Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, Philip J.

June 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Pakistan has moved more troops to its border with Afghanistan than it has to its border with India since the Nov 26 Mumbai terror attacks, according to a top US official. But the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, declined to say how many troops Pakistan has moved from the border with India even as he refuted a suggestion that Pakistani troops there are back to the pre-Mumbai attack levels.

May 6th, 2009 LAHORE - The United States Special Envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke has termed the Swat peace deal as 'dead', the Daily Times reported. Addressing the House Committee on Foreign Affairs in Washington, Holbrooke said Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari had already informed the United States that the accord, signed between the NWFP government and the Taliban, would not stand for long.

April 25th, 2009 LAHORE - US Special Representative on Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke has said there is no evidence that India is supporting violence in Pakistan. "If the Indians were supporting those miscreants in Pakistan that would be extraordinarily bad, really dangerous, but they are not doing so.

April 23rd, 2009 LAHORE - The United States is finding convincing Pakistan that the internal threat posed by extremism is a bigger threat to it than India, a "tough sell". Delivering a lecture at the Harvard University, Central Command chief General David Petraeus said Islamabad must change its attitude towards New Delhi.

April 20th, 2009 LAHORE - The US Special Envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke has said that there is an increased risk of Islamabad being affected by the Swat deal inked between the Taliban and the government of Pakistan. "You cannot deal with these people by giving away territory.

April 18th, 2009 TOKYO - The US Special Envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke has said that the international community should ensure giving more financial aid to Pakistan, as the terrorist groups based on its soil are on the verge of carrying out attacks around the world. Addressing delegates at the donors' conference here in which countries have pledged five billion dollars for Pakistan as aid, Holbrooke said the world must keep supporting the country.

April 7th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - US special envoy to Pakistan Richard Holbrooke Tuesday said the two countries had parallel interests in fighting the war against Al Qaeda and Taliban militants concentrated along the Afghan border. 'The United States and Pakistan face a common strategic threat, a common enemy and a common challenge and, therefore, a common task,' Holbrooke told reporters at a joint press conference with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.