Washington: US President Barack Obama is understood to have impressed upon his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari the need for Pakistan to concentrate on security challenges within the Taliban-infested country rather than considering India as an "existential threat".
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs gave indication about it during the course of his daily briefing while his State Department counterpart Robert Wood was clearer in observing that Pakistan should not consider India as a threat.
"I think the President brought this up proactively in the news conference last week. Obviously given the security challenges ahead in Pakistan, the President believes and the administration believes focusing on the security challenges within the country that are being posed right now make a lot more sense than stockpiling troops on the border," Gibbs said.
He was referring to Obama's earlier statement when the President had expressed "grave concern" about the situation in Pakistan. Obama had said there was "some recognition just in the last few days that the obsession with India as the mortal threat to Pakistan has been misguided, and that their biggest threat right now comes internally."
The State Department, however, made things much clear after Obama's talks with Zardari.
"We have made very clear to them that the existential threat to Pakistan comes from the Taliban, not India," Wood said.