US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher arrived in Pakistan Wednesday evening for talks on joint efforts to contain Taliban insurgents fighting foreign forces in Afghanistan. Boucher, who is Washington's point man for South and Central Asian affairs, arrived from Kabul, where he predicted that Afghanistan and its allies are better prepared this year to tackle the insurgency that intensified fiercely in 2006, dpa reported. Making his second visit to Pakistan in two months, he was due to meet Thursday with President Pervez Musharraf, Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri and other members of the leadership. This is the latest in a series of visits from top US officials who have praised Pakistan as an ally in the war against terror while calling for greater efforts against militants sheltering in the tribal areas by the border with Afghanistan. A parliamentary delegation from NATO member states also arrived in Islamabad Wednesday for talks on the conflict. The military alliance and separate US forces have almost 50,000 troops in Afghanistan.
