No negotiations with terrorists, says FM

ISLAMABAD - The new coalition government will not negotiate with "terrorists" even as it seeks talks with some militant groups, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said.
"We will not negotiate with terrorists, but we will engage (them in dialogue) and we believe in political engagement," Qureshi told Dawn News television in an interview.
He said the new government would adopt a multi-pronged strategy to combat terrorism, as military force alone was not the only solution. He said the PPP-led coalition government would engage the local population "politically".
The foreign minister said that it was a wrong perception that Pakistan was fighting the US 'war on terror', adding that terrorism was affecting Pakistan's people and the economy. He said the new government would convince the people that the 'war on terror' was in Pakistan's best interest.
Qureshi also called for softening the detention of Abdul Qadeer Khan, the Pakistani nuclear scientist put under arrest by President Pervez Musharraf.
He said he didn't want Khan's movements "restricted".
He said Khan was a "respected Pakistani" who should be allowed to go out if he wished. He also said that Dr Khan would not be handed over to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
On the Kashmir issue, Qureshi said that the government would not put it on the backburner, as it was also on the agenda of the composite dialogue with India.
AP adds: Qureshi said a meeting with visiting British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith on Monday was "very productive.”
"On a lot of issues we’re on the same page,” he said. Jacqui said she was sure the new administration "wants to do more” against terrorism. She said London will urgently consider ways to boost bilateral cooperation, saying it already has helped prevent several terrorist attacks in Britain.
In a separate meeting, Gilani told Jacqui that Pakistan would follow a "multi-pronged” strategy against terrorism and extremism, his office said in a statement. Gilani urged the international community to address root causes of terrorism in "unresolved political issues” and economic disparities.
He welcomed British development funds earmarked for tribal areas along the Afghan border.
Qureshi accused the previous government of failing to convince Pakistanis "that this is not an alien war,” despite a wave of suicide bombings and their negative impact on the economy.