WASHINGTON : Pledging to pursue a multifaceted strategy against global terrorism, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said Pakistan will talk to insurgent tribesmen in its areas along Afghan border and marginalize terrorists but made it clear that it would not negotiate with terrorists.
In an article in The Washington Post, the prime minister also vowed on Wednesday to strengthen the Parliament and restore an independent judiciary, which he described as the “centerpiece of civil society”.
“Pakistan will not negotiate with terrorists, but it will not refrain from talking to insurgent tribesmen whose withdrawal of support could help drain the swamp in which terrorists fester and grow. Yet no talks will be held with anyone refusing to lay down arms,” he stated emphatically in the article entitled “Pakistan’s Moment.”
The new government’s multifaceted strategy will “combine the use of force against terrorists and civil dialogue with those who, because of religious or ethnic considerations, were misled into supporting extremists,” he wrote.
Gilani reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve to continue the fight against terrorism with the help of its people.
“We intend to vigorously continue the war against terrorism with the support of the people. Pakistan must fight terrorism for Pakistan’s sake. Past efforts have suffered because of the view that Pakistan sought to combat terrorism only in response to international pressure.”
Elaborating the new government’s anti-terror policy he wrote it “aims to marginalize terrorists in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and our North-West Frontier region, where the rule of law had been abandoned and territory all but ceded to al-Qaeda and the Taliban.”
“Negotiations with various tribes are being pursued with the help of the secular Pashtun nationalist Awami National Party, which has intimate knowledge of tribes and clans in the area and which, along with my Pakistan People’s Party, received the bulk of the votes of ethnic Pashtuns in the Feb. 18 parliamentary elections.”
The prime minister termed as erroneous the comparisons drawn between the new government’s policy and the failed deals reached with tribal militants along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in 2004 and 2006.
“Those agreements were signed after militant groups bruised Pakistan’s security forces in battle. Now we are negotiating from a position of strength. Militants have been asked to surrender their weapons and unequivocally give up violence. We will not cut off our ability to use force or lower the vigilance we maintain to guard against violations of the peace agreements.”
The government, he said, intends to restore order and to give the people an option other than collaborating with murderers whose sole goal is chaos and anarchy.
“We will welcome our tribes back into society while respecting their conservative interpretations of Islam, as long as they give up violence and refuse to acquiesce to the intimidation of terrorists.”
Pakistan, he said, will work cooperatively with Afghanistan to secure the porous border.
“The border between our countries is porous, not least because some 3 million Afghan refugees still in Pakistan need to maintain ties with their kin. We intend to work with the Afghan government to secure the border and to ensure the repatriation of the refugees with dignity, security and full economic opportunity.”
About his government, the prime minister said it is “a coalition of modern, moderate, innovative, progressive democratic forces determined to jump-start the economy and to rebuild the social fabric of Pakistan.
“We have already freed political prisoners and lifted press censorship. We have released detained judges and will restore an independent judiciary, the centerpiece of civil society. We will strengthen and protect our neglected democratic infrastructure, especially Parliament.”
He also held out a firm promise to “reform our tribal areas economically, politically and socially through measures that address the needs of the people and will integrate these areas into mainstream society.”
The government, he said, is cognizant of the fact that unemployment, inflation and poverty are corrosive elements that, if left unaddressed, can create hopelessness and ennui that undermine authority.
“Our government confronts high global food and oil prices and has inherited food shortages exacerbated by the smuggling of Pakistani wheat across our borders.Yet our government plans to be the safety net that ensures equity and protects people. We seek and expect the support of the international community in attaining these objectives.”
The prime minister voiced his strong determination to grasp the defining moment in the nation’s history and prove that democracy is the best bulwark against terrorism and hopelessness.
“God willing, we will demonstrate to our people and to the other 1.3 billion Muslims on this planet that democracy works and is the best guarantee against terrorism, injustice and hopelessness.”
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