Islamabad: Top US envoy Richard Holbrooke on Sunday praised Pakistan for its military gains against Taliban, saying the situation in the country was "much better off" than a few months ago especially with "one less very bad person around - Baitullah Mehsud" that triggered a "rift" within the militant ranks.
The reported death of Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud has created a rift within militant ranks that will allow authorities to focus on other challenges confronting Pakistan, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and US envoy Richard Holbrooke said.
Since Mehsud's killing in a drone attack, there has been "confusion, disarray and reports of infighting in the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan", Qureshi told a news conference he addressed jointly with Holbrooke, the US special envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Holbrooke said: "We are much better off today and there appears to be one less very bad person around Baitullah Mehsud and perhaps more, (going by) the reports of internal struggles resulting in the killing of some of the leaders by each other," Holbrooke said.
Following the successes achieved by the Pakistan army in its drive against the Taliban in the northwestern Malakand division, the focus will now shift to tackling the country's economic problems and a crippling energy crisis, Qureshi and Holbrooke said.