WASHINGTON (AFP) — A team of US lawmakers said Monday they had "candid discussions" with Pakistani leaders about the importance of confronting Al-Qaeda terrorists both within Pakistan and along its border with Afghanistan.
"Our delegation held candid discussions with President (Pervez) Musharraf and Prime Minister (Syed Yousaf Raza) Gillani earlier today," the group said in a statement from Islamabad.
"The government of Pakistan remains concerned over security and the need to directly confront this terrorist threat not only within Pakistan, but also along the border with Afghanistan," said team leader and Democratic Senator Benjamin Cardin.
He said US lawmakers "were encouraged by the unity among Pakistani leaders to confront terrorists."
Pakistan has come under growing pressure to crack down on Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants, with the United States and other NATO countries with troops in Afghanistan expressing concern over the government's negotiations with Taliban rebels after elections in February.
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday said the failure of Pakistan's new government to put pressure on Taliban forces on the Afghan border was a "concern."
Cardin, who co-chairs the US Helsinki Commission, said the US lawmakers' meetings in Pakistan also focused on the country's "human rights and democratic development."
He said the team was encouraged by the Pakistani leadership's unity to "make the necessary economic reforms for the people of Pakistan."
Apart from Cardin, the bi-partisan US delegation included Democrats Mike McIntyre and Loretta Sanchez and Republicans Robert Aderholt and Zach Wamp from the House of Representatives.
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