Senator Barack Obama said on Monday that the new government in Pakistan is still getting its "sea legs" but it is important that the US emphasise to Islamabad how seriously it takes the "base camps from where the movement across the border into Afghanistan takes place". "And it's not just in the interest of Afghan security -- or US security -- it's also in the interest of Pakistan's long term security that we shut those bases down," he added.
Asked if the US should play a role in negotiations between Pakistan and India, he called it an example of "how we need to think comprehensively about the region". He added, "If one of the central concerns of Pakistan is its security posture towards India, then we need to put that on the table for discussions as we try to solve the problems in Afghanistan. Kashmir continues to be a constant instigator of tension between India and Pakistan. And, historically, Pakistan has tolerated, or in some cases, funded the mujahideen ... because they think it's somehow helpful to them in Kashmir. We have to have an honest conversation about how counter-productive that is."
Obama has in the past emphasised upon a radical overhaul of the traditional US policy of supporting the army at the expense of democracy in the country. He has said, "The greatest threat to the security of America and Afghanistan lies in the tribal regions of Pakistan, where terrorists are trained and insurgents strike across the border. We will not tolerate a terrorist sanctuary."