British FM warns Pak, Afghanistan democracies at risk

“If the terrorist threat continues to be shunted back and forth across the Afghan-Pakistan border, democracy will have little chance of success,” he warned at a forum of the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

“There needs to be a common strategy to tackle the insurgency,” said Miliband, whose speech was based on building democracy in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, who grabbed power in a military coup in 1999, gave up his military role and allowed free elections in February while Afghanistan held its first elections in almost 30 years in 2005.

But the two countries have been bickering over counter terrorism efforts, largely over Kabul claims that Islamabad is not forceful enough in containing rising Taliban insurgency from the unpoliced border areas in Pakistan.

Milliband said countries needed “democratic and effective states not just democratic and credible elections.”

He also appeared to back moves by the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan to reach out to militants or suspected terrorists, saying political reconciliation was critical to strengthening the two nations.