April 08, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 1, 1429

WASHINGTON, April 7: US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher has said that the United States has nothing against Pakistan pursuing a political approach to combating terrorism, if the military option is not taken off the shelf.

Mr Boucher acknowledged that a military approach alone was not enough to deal with violent extremism, which needed a combination of security, economic and political approaches to resolve.

The official, who looks after South Asian affairs at the State Department, said that after meeting new Pakistani leaders in Pakistan last month, he has returned with the impression that they too see the fight against terrorism as their fight.

In a statement on stability in South and Central Asia, Mr Boucher said the new Pakistani leaders will have a democratic debate in parliament on this issue as they work out the way forward.

On Pakistan’s policy to engage the militants, Mr Boucher said: “They are going to talk to them, I mean, but they’re going to talk to the tribes to try to get the tribes on their side against the extremists. And let’s face it; this is not just a military problem.

“We’ve always said and the Pakistani government has always said you need to have a political context for people to reach peace, you have to have an economic context for them – to get people jobs instead of guns.”

The US, he said, did not have anything against the political context, but people have to be clear.