Pakistan said Sunday it wants to be consulted over the United States' new strategy on Afghanistan, saying that its expertise and coordination are vital to success.
US President Barack Obama is approaching a critical decision on whether to agree to a request for 40,000 more troops in Afghanistan, after an exhaustive weeks-long review.
At a meeting in Malaysia, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said he put the request for closer involvement in the US deliberations to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her visit to Pakistan last week.
"I requested her, that they're undergoing a review of their Afghan strategy, it would be highly appreciated if we could share the findings of that review and seek our input," he said.
"Because we understand the area, we understand the tribes, we understand the local customs and traditions and our input might be useful for the Americans," he said on the sidelines of a meeting of developing nations in Kuala Lumpur.
"If there is synchronisation in our efforts, then the results would be far better than we have had in the past."
Qureshi said that a well-coordinated "surge" in troop numbers would have a good chance of success, but that a poorly planned escalation could merely push militants across the border into Pakistan.
"Have you solved the problem? No you have not, you have just transferred the problem to come back to you at a later time," he said.
"You have threatened your supplies and your logistics into Afghanistan," he said. "Let's not forget that Pakistan is your main supply line, 85 percent of your supplies are going through Pakistan."
"The more we coordinate, the more effective our operations will be on both sides of the border."
Qureshi brushed aside Clinton's comments last week that she found it "hard to believe" that nobody in the Pakistan government knows where Al-Qaeda leaders are hiding in the country's tribal belt, which borders Afghanistan.
"I think what she was being was not negative or sarcastic, I think she was being objective. Because we are partners, we are allies and we have shared objectives," he said.
Hundreds of Al-Qaeda and Taliban-linked militants are believed to have fled into Pakistan after US-led troops invaded Afghanistan in 2001. US officials say militants are plotting attacks on the West from sanctuaries in Pakistan.
