When Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs was challenged as to what action against terror groups, including the Lashkar-e-Tayiba, the US had been able to elicit from Pakistan and that President Obama's statements that Pakistan providing safe havens to these groups being unacceptable was said in India to pacify Indians, he defended the actions taken by Islamabad thus far.
"We've been clear throughout that we have welcomed the steps Pakistan has taken thus far," the official who accompanied Obama during his trip to India said, citing the example of the Pakistani military's action "in the Swat Valley, in South Waziristan and places like that."
Blake however, added, "The President, the Secretary (of State, Hillary Clinton), and others have been very clear that those actions must continue, and for example, there must be progress in places in North Waziristan and there must be progress against the Punjab-based groups, such as Lashkar-e-Tayiba, which pose a threat not only to India, but to Pakistan itself."
"The President was very clear that Pakistan itself has been the chief victim of international terrorism" he pointed out, "And so, it's very much in Pakistan's own interests to crack down on these groups, which increasingly are operating as a syndicate and its very difficult to really distinguish between them."
Blake said, additionally that "they are also operating against American interests, not just in our homeland but in places like Afghanistan and in the Mumbai attack where six Americans were killed."
"So, this is a very important priority for all three countries," he said.
