Washington, July 21: Republican presidential hopeful John McCain has reportedly criticised his Democratic rival Barack Obama over his yesterday’s remark about unilateral action in Pakistani territory to target terrorists. McCain said Obama’s approach created difficulties in the way of Pakistan’s support in the US-led war on terror.

Obama was in Afghanistan yesterday and met US troops and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. He had said that under him the US would be prepared to hunt high value terrorists in Pakistan if it had them in sight and if Pakistan did not act.

Senator McCain declared that a special focus of his regional strategy would be Pakistan, where, he claimed, extremists were suspected to be hiding. He committed his support for Islamabad’s approach to engaging tribesmen to isolate terrorists.

“One way to root them out is to strengthen local tribes in the border areas that are willing to fight them. Senator Obama has spoken in public about taking unilateral military action in Pakistan, but in trying to sound tough, he has only made it harder to enlist the full support of Pakistan in the fight against terrorists,” the Daily Times quoted McCain as saying in a radio address.

Noting a lack of coherent effort on the Afghan side, he said that if he wins the presidential poll he would appoint a high-level adviser to assure success in the insurgency-hit country.

“A successful counterinsurgency requires all instruments of our national power, and that military and civilian leaders work together, at all levels, under a joint plan. Too often in Afghanistan, this is not happening. So I will appoint a highly-respected national security leader, based in the White House and reporting directly to the president, whose sole mission will be to assure victory in Afghanistan,” he said.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has repeatedly ruled out any foreign troops on Pakistani soil, making it clear that only Pakistani forces would take action against any terrorists that may be hiding on its soil. Islamabad urges Washington to improve intelligence sharing on the Afghan border. (ANI)