Dr. Moeed Pirzada conducts exclusive interview with Amb Richard Holbrooke, United States Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Interview recorded with Amb Richard Holbrooke (Late) on 21st June, 2010 for Dunya News, Pakistan. Interview was conducted just two weeks after popular loya’s Jirga organized by Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan carried unconditional dialogues with the Taliban.
Discussion started from US Pakistan first ever strategic dialogues and eleven working groups like on energy defense, law enforcement, water, education and women empowerment etc. Some hardliner questions were asked like why promises made by Obama administration were not fulfilled and Pakistani products cannot have international market access. Richard Holbrook also shared interesting story of how US helped three Pakistani who were part of freedom flotilla headed towards Gaza blockade by Israel in 2010. Mr Holbrook said that Mr Barak Obama has co sponsored famous Kerry Lugar bill for Pakistan when he was senator and Bush administration was not interested. He also said that frequent visits of other US officials in Pakistan Afghanistan doesn’t mean that he was sidelined he said they all work as a team and everyone plays his own role.