Pakistan frets over expected U.S. Afghan surge

By Kamran Haider

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - An expected U.S. military surge in Afghanistan could destabilise neighbouring Pakistan, Pakistan's prime minister said on Thursday, days before a long-awaited U.S. announcement on its Afghan strategy.

President Barack Obama is set to unveil a revised strategy for the increasingly unpopular Afghan war next week, with at least 30,000 more U.S. troops expected to be sent to Afghanistan.

But U.S. ally Pakistan fears the reinforcements could force militants to flee into Pakistan, in particular into its volatile southwestern province of Baluchistan, said Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani.

"Sending more troops to Afghanistan, there's fear that the influx of militants may be towards Baluchistan," Gilani told a news conference.

The government this week announced a package of reforms for the province aimed at ending a low-level insurgency.

Separatists in Baluchistan have campaigned for decades for greater autonomy and control of the province's abundant natural gas and mineral resources, which they say are unfairly exploited to the benefit of other provinces.

U.S. officials say many Afghan Taliban leaders are also hiding in Baluchistan.

Gilani said President Asif Ali Zardari had asked Obama to consult Pakistan on his Afghan policy.