November 11, 2008	Tuesday	Ziqa'ad 12, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Nov 10: Pakistan expects US President-elect Barack Obama to re-evaluate American military strikes on Al Qaeda and Taliban targets on its side of the Afghan border, President Asif Ali Zardari said on Monday.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Mr Zardari warned the surge in missile attacks since August was hurting Pakistan’s own fight against the militants, a campaign he said was succeeding nonetheless.

The US military is believed to have carried out at least 18 missile attacks on suspected militant targets close to the border since August.

The missiles were believed fired from unmanned planes launched in Afghanistan, where some 32,000 US troops are fighting Taliban.

The president said Mr Obama would re-examine that strategy, but acknowledged the Democrat – who struck a hawkish tone during the election – may continue the attacks.

“I think there is definitively going to be a new look at all the issues that have been on the table of the United States and this is one of the large issues,” said Mr Zardari.

The attacks have killed some militants, but many of the dead have been civilians, including women and children, stoking anger among locals, Pakistani officials say.

“We feel that the strikes are an intrusion on our sovereignty which are not appreciated by the people at large, and the first aspect of this war is to win the hearts and minds of the people,” Mr Zardari said.

“I think from where it was when we took over, we are in a much better place,” he said. “We used the force of the government and they (the militants) realised that there is a force here, that the people of Pakistan are to be reckoned with.”

The president said there was no chance of “economic meltdown” as some pundits have predicted and defended the country’s decision to turn to the IMF, which he said would make the country cut its spending before dispersing the cash.

“I think it’s a difficult pill, but one has to take medicine to get better,” he said. “The IMF wants to spread the risk factor and make sure that people only spend as much as they carry in their pocket, and countries and individuals have the habit of overspending.”—AP