Zardari: US war on militancy hits Pakistan economy

The U.S. regional campaign against militancy and the violence it has provoked in Pakistan have almost crippled its economy, President Asif Ali Zardari told an American envoy Friday. Pakistan, facing both U.S. pressure to help fight militants in Afghanistan and its own Taliban insurgency, said Friday there was no confirmation on the fate of the Pakistan Taliban leader, who was targeted in a U.S. drone aircraft attack. One Taliban official said Hakimullah Mehsud was wounded in the neck in the missile strike Thursday. Drone attacks are one source of friction between the United States and Pakistan, which Washington sees as a crucial front-line ally in its war against militancy. Pakistani officials say the drones are a violation of its sovereignty, even though they have killed high-profile al Qaeda and Taliban figures who want to topple Zardari's government. Zardari expressed his concerns over the consequences of the U.S. war against militancy in the region on Pakistan in a meeting in Lahore with U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke.