NEW YORK, Nov 22: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations Abdullah Husain Haroon Friday renewed his proposal for the formation of a joint force of Pakistan, Nato, and US troops to curb cross border terrorism by militants.

“Such a force”, he said “should come under the command of Pakistan Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani,” Mr Haroon told some 336 participants of the United States Army War College at a local hotel on the topic of the ‘Situation in Afghanistan and its impact on Pakistan’.

While noting “today there was a better understanding between the leadership of Afghanistan and Pakistan” ,he said that the proposal for such a force was being made to to end complaints of mistrust among coalition partners and to provide much needed local experience, essential for success in Afghanistan.

Mr Haroon said that the new US administration should increase economic assistance to Afghanistan and Pakistan so that economic activity could be generated and basic needs of the people were met.

He pointed out “Pakistan had to bear an expenditure of roughly 150 billion dollars for hosting three million Afghan Refugees, 10 per cent of the total population of Afghanistan for the past 33 years, equal to one year of Pakistan’s GDP.”

He reflected “if cost on food per person is taken as one dollar per day per person, the sum comes up to $35 billion so far, and as food is 50 per cent of the expenses on how people live.