High-level meeting reviews war on terror

ISLAMABAD: A high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani unanimously agreed on Wednesday over the principle of use of minimum force and avoidance of collateral damage.The meeting agreed that elimination of terrorism and extremism is the gravest challenge to Pakistan's national security and to fight this menace a multi-pronged strategy will be followed. The meeting was held to review progress on the war on terror and the law and order situation in NWFP.The meeting was attended by Governor NWFP, Owais Ahmed Ghani, Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti, Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hameedullah Jan Afridi, Minister for Environment, Najamuddin Khan, Minister for SAFRON, Mahmud Ali Durrani, Advisor to PM on National Security, Rehman Malik, Advisor to PM on Interior, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Chief of Army Staff and DG ISI. It was agreed that in addition to the political instrument, large scale development, economic empowerment and selective use of military force will be the other prongs of the strategy. It was decided that broad objective of this strategy will be to bring about peace, reconciliation and normalcy of life in the country and marginalize the hard core terrorists, militants and criminal elements, so that Pakistan's national interest reigns supreme. The meeting decided to ensure that local tribal customs and traditions are respected by the law enforcement agencies and ensure that all foreign fighters will be expelled from Pakistan's territory. The meeting decided that Pakistan will not allow its territory to be used against other countries, especially Afghanistan and under no circumstances will foreign troops be allowed to operate inside Pakistan. It was decided that while the Provincial governments will be responsible for their jurisdictions, the Governor NWFP will be the Chief Coordinator for all activity in FATA and maintain intimate liaison with the Federal Government, Provincial Government, important political leaders and the local Military commander. All agreements with the tribes in FATA will be backed by a robust enforcement mechanism. It was decided in case of non-compliance and violation of the agreement, the government will reserve the right to use force. The tribes will also be responsible for stopping cross border movement for militancy across the border from their areas. However this will require intimate coordination between the political and the military/security prongs of the effort. It was decided that tribes will not fight or target the Army, Frontier Corps and other law enforcing agencies in their areas. They will be made to understand that the use of force by the military will be justified if the tribes act contrary to their obligations. It was decided that Chief of Army Staff will be the Principal for application of the military effort. Although Frontier Corps NWFP and Law Enforcement Agencies will be the instruments of the Governor and Chief Minister in their respective jurisdiction for law and order, they will fall under his command for military operations. It was agreed that the Army Chief will have the authority to decide on the quantum, composition and positioning of military effort. It was agreed that the principle of use of minimum force and avoidance of collateral damage will be kept in focus; initiate swift operations based on actionable intelligence to eliminate terrorists and to stop hostile movement across the border for operations against Coalition Forces in Afghanistan; decide on the level of liaison, contact and cooperation with ISAF in Afghanistan and keep the Government appropriately informed; and keep the Prime Minister, Governor NWFP, Defence Minister and Adviser on Interior informed about the operations.