Washington: US has said that Pakistan's military is still "heavily focused" on India even as there are recent encouraging signs of Islamabad shifting focus to its western border, where it is battling Taliban militants.
Chairman of Joint Chief of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen also termed Pakistan's military action against Taliban in restive tribal areas as "encouraging", but said the "biggest question" is about sustainability of such operations.
He along with Defense Secretary Robert Gates testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, seeking lawmaker's approval for the war funding.
Responding to a question from Senator John McCain about Pakistan's obsession with India, Mullen, who was recently in Islamabad, said the Pakistan Army still is "heavily focused on India", even as there are recent encouraging signs of shifting the focus on its western border.
"There is much more focus on counterinsurgency and on the West than there had been. He (Pak Army Chief General Pervez Ashfaq Kayani) has moved troops to the West. But I still think we've got a long way to go with respect to the entire army thinking that the only existential threat they have is from the west," Mullen said.
On the military operations in Pakistan, he said: "The biggest question about these operations (military offensive against Taliban in Pakistan) is their ability to sustain them over time."