News
Monday, October 31, 2011
Military operations not a solution to militancy: Gilani* PM says govt and people of Pakistan are committed to fighting terrorism
* World wants political solution to Afghanistan
PERTH: Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, on Sunday, said that military operations were not a sustainable solution to the problem of militancy, as political process had to be initiated to bring peace.
Speaking to the Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, on the sidelines of Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) here, Gilani said the government and people of Pakistan were committed to fighting terrorism, and it was reflected in successful operation in Malakand and Swat.
Gilani said his initiative of political reconciliation was not taken seriously by the US leadership, but now his stance had been vindicated as the whole world now urged a political resolution for a long-term stability in Afghanistan by bringing to the negotiation table all Afghan factions.
The prime minister said he visited Afghanistan thrice and also took along with him the army chief and the head of intelligence service to meet the Afghan president in order to give impetus to the process of reconciliation.
Gillard said she understood criticality of political reconciliation in Afghanistan, as it was intertwined closely to stability, development and good governance. She invited Pakistan for a meaningful dialogue to deepen economic ties, enhance cooperation in agriculture and undertake joint investment ventures to strengthen bilateral relations as an effective means to counter terrorism.
The Australian prime minister said her country looked forward to a bilateral visit in 2012 along with a delegation, comprising businessmen, investors and agriculturists so as to explore new avenues for cooperation between the two countries.
Gilani is the first democratically head of government to have visited Australia, which has emerged as its fifth largest development partner.
The current volume of trade between Pakistan and Australia has surged to $700 million, still far below the real potential between the two countries.
Gillard said Australia considered development an important component of counter-terrorism strategy, and would widen the scope of cooperation with Pakistan in all areas.
Gilani also extended an invitation to the Australian prime minister to visit Pakistan, and said there was a need to find new avenues of cooperation, particularly in areas of agriculture, energy, education, infrastructure and health.
He said that international community needed to extend assistance to Pakistan to enhance its capacity to fight militants, who, he said, were a common enemy. He said it was particularly important in the wake of colossal losses to the country’s economy because of terrorist activities.
He said suicide bombings caused flight of the capital and scared the investors away despite lucrative incentives offered by the government.
The prime minister gave detailed account of Pakistan’s role in the war on terror in which around 35,000 people have been killed, including 5,000 law-enforcement personnel, with an equal number disabled. Gilani said poverty was the root cause of terrorism and extremism and must be an important component of the counter-terrorism strategy.
Gilani said setting up of Reconstruction Opportunity Zones needed to be materialised to improve the quality of life of people of FATA and provide economic incentives to people so that they could be weaned away from indulging in extremist activities. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk