News
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Army supports country’s democratic transition: Zardari* President’s article in The Guardian says Pakistanis fighting for life
* Security set up backed by democracy, strong economyLONDON: With troops battling hard to flush out extremists from Waziristan, the army is also supporting the country’s democratic transition and adherence to the constitution, President Asif Ali Zardari has said.
“Some in Pakistan question our international alliances because they disapprove of our allies’ actions, such as last month’s unilateral US drone attack against militants in Waziristan. We should all understand that concern. But we are fighting for our lives, and Pakistan’s policies cannot be based solely on what is popular,” wrote the president in an article published on Monday in a British daily, The Guardian.
Zardari vowed to defeat terrorism, and said Pakistan’s security set up was backed up by democracy and a strong economy.
He said the war on terror had cost Pakistan not just in terms of lives, but also in terms of the economy, freezing international investment and diverting priorities from social and other sectors.
“Despite constant challenges on multiple fronts, we took the political hits and stuck with reform. Pakistan even met the IMF criteria last month to receive the fourth tranche of its loan funding, no easy feat during a global recession. Corrupt governments don’t reach this level of IMF partnership. The World Bank, the European Union and the US have all applauded our accomplishments. This praise may be little reported, but it’s far more important than the chimera of polls,” Zardari wrote.
He spoke of the economic crisis that demanded an “unprecedented response” and about taxes, education, agriculture and energy. He noted his government had shown that it must adapt, reform and become self-sufficient. “Terrorists do not want Pakistan to succeed. They want to distract us from preparing for a stable and prosperous future. But militants underestimate us. Just as our people refuse to be terrorised, our government refuses to be derailed from its course of fiscal responsibility, social accountability and financial transparency.”
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk