People's Party chairman wants Obama to apologise

Islamabad: Pakistan People's Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, currently on a visit to the US, has called upon President Barack Obama to apologise over the November 26 air strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers on the border with Afghanistan.

"I urge President Obama to show some courage," he said in a speech to a gathering in New York on Monday night, the text of which was carried by Pakistani official APP news agency yesterday.

"I understand he is running for re-election but if he is the same man who inspired the world with his message of hope and change, the future of Nato mission in Afghanistan should be more important than poll numbers. Pakistan deserves an apology," Bilawal said.

After the deadly attack on the Pakistani army's Salala check post, Islamabad closed the Nato supply routes to Afghanistan. A US apology is seen by many here as a key to resolving the dispute and ending the six-month old blockade.

Bilawal asked the American public "to consider what their reaction would have been if American troops had been killed in such an attack on their border with Mexico."

"It is ludicrous to keep demanding Pakistan do more under these circumstances. Over 4,000 Pakistani troops have been martyred in this war. That is more than all Nato forces combined. It is time for the US to do more," he said.

The PPP chairman said: "This is truly a moment of tension and reexamination. We are at a crossroads. The future of the bilateral relationship could well determine the success of moderation against extremism in South and Central Asia."