The future of US-Pakistan Relations

The World

Iraq is less violent these days as it's been in the past five years; yet as things grow more stable in Iraq, there becoming less so in Afghanistan. This is partly due to cross border attacks by Taliban and al Qaeda forces -- they've taken refuge in the border areas between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Pakistan's new Prime Minister was in Washington for a meeting with President Bush. The Bush Administration wants Pakistan to do more to crack down on Taliban and al Qaeda forces staging cross-border attacks in Afghanistan. "The World's" Katy Clark reports on the future of US-Pakistan relations, and the battle against extremists based in Pakistan's lawless tribal areas.

For his part, Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani told President Bush that extremists are the exception, rather than the rule in Pakistan.

President Bush offered Pakistan 115 million dollars in food aid over the next two years. The Council on Foreign Relations thinks this is the kind of thing that could win greater support throughout the Pakistani population for the U.S.

U.S. led counter-terrorism efforts inside Pakistan have often made more enemies than friends -- for one thing, Pakistani civilians are frequently injured or killed in the process.

PRI's "The World" is a one-hour, weekday radio news magazine offering a mix of news, features, interviews, and music from around the globe. "The World" is a co-production of the BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Boston.

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