US-LET 2LST

Benjamin rejected the contention by some sections in
Pakistan that Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD) was a humanitarian group.
"If any organisation has a political and a humanitarian
as well as as a terrorist wing, then it is entirely a
terrorist group, like the LeT and its social service wing, the
Jamat-ud-Dawa," the US official said.
He said one of the major challenges was to pre-empt
such groups providing essential social services in countries
which have insufficient resources.
Contending that Pakistan had "suffered tremendously"
due to terrorism, he said the US will continue to support the
country in strengthening its democratic institutions, economic
growth and defeat extremists.
"Pakistan has suffered tremendously from terrorism in
recent years and lost thousands of lives in the last couple of
years alone. With our cooperation their performance in Swat
demonstrates that its continuing to beat back militancy,"
Benjamin said.
He said that while seeking cooperation of all nations
in the South Asian region, "we all need to avoid the kind of
thinking that working with one country for countering
terrorism is not at the expense of the other nation."
Citing "lot of history" in South Asia, he said one has
to be mindful of it but "cannot be prisoners to it as we deal
with a new kind of threat precisely because your success will
depend on how well you work together".
He also insisted that India was in the loop in the US'
Af-Pak policy. "India is not out of the process. It is very
much involved (in the Af-Pak process)." PTI