The relationship between the United States and Pakistan has seen a "significant improvement" under the Obama administration, the U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan said Sunday, attributing recent Taliban arrests to increased communication between the two governments.
"No government on earth has received more high level attention," Ambassador Richard Holbrooke told CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" of the dozens of visits by top U.S. officials to their counterparts in Pakistan.
"All of this, plus the recognition that the distinction between Afghan Taliban and Pakistan Taliban - if it ever existed - is eroded, has led the Pakistanis to take a very much more forward leaning position," Holbrooke said. "Plus, above all, the backlash from the (Taliban's) attacks in places like Lahore or Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Kashmir, Karachi, have all contributed to an evolution."
Holbrooke cited the arrest of the Taliban's No. 2 official, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, as evidence of Pakistan's evolution from a country on the verge of collapse to a more stable political system now.
Baradar is one of at least six Taliban leaders to be arrested in the past month, according to Pakistani officials. Some analysts say the arrests underscore a change in Pakistan's policy brought on by pressure from the United States for higher levels of cooperation.
Envoy: U.S.-Pakistan relations significantly improved – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs
"No government on earth has received more high level attention," Ambassador Richard Holbrooke told CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" of the dozens of visits by top U.S. officials to their counterparts in Pakistan.
"All of this, plus the recognition that the distinction between Afghan Taliban and Pakistan Taliban - if it ever existed - is eroded, has led the Pakistanis to take a very much more forward leaning position," Holbrooke said. "Plus, above all, the backlash from the (Taliban's) attacks in places like Lahore or Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Kashmir, Karachi, have all contributed to an evolution."
Holbrooke cited the arrest of the Taliban's No. 2 official, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, as evidence of Pakistan's evolution from a country on the verge of collapse to a more stable political system now.
Baradar is one of at least six Taliban leaders to be arrested in the past month, according to Pakistani officials. Some analysts say the arrests underscore a change in Pakistan's policy brought on by pressure from the United States for higher levels of cooperation.
Envoy: U.S.-Pakistan relations significantly improved – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs
