Deploring the use of "human shields" by militants in Islamabad's Lal Masjid during their standoff with their government, the United States on Thursday said Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is under threat from "violent extremism" as America or any of its neighbours are.
The Bush administration said the Pakistani authorities themselves have to deal with the situation arising out of the standoff between the military and the radicals led by Lal Masjid clerics.
It said Musharraf has initiated a number of reforms in the country, including on the economic front, and had taken steps to counter terror elements, which the US supported.
US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack also made it clear that Washington's assessment of the goings on inside Pakistan is not one of looking at a post-Musharraf era.
"I think this is something for the Pakistani local authorities to deal with," he said referring to the masjid issue.
"First of all, you know, people using human shields, I mean, it's not civilised behavior, certainly. The threat from extremism in Pakistan is one that's been around for some time, and Musharraf has taken a lot of steps to try to address it and to try to open up the Pakistani political system.
There's still a lot more to do in that regard, but we support him in those efforts," he added.
Asked whether the arrests in Pakistan were escalating over the months and that the Bush administration must be concerned about Musharraf not being able to hold on to power, he said, "I'm not sure that that would be our assessment, no."
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