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Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Zardari says allegations may derail peace process
ISLAMABAD: The terrorists, who attacked India’s financial capital, had no links to any government, President Asif Zardari said on Monday.
The president called the attackers “non-state actors”, and warned against letting their actions lead to greater enmity in the region. Tensions between Pakistan and India flared after the attacks last week in Mumbai that killed at least 172 people and wounded 239 others.
“Such a tragic incident must bring opportunity rather than the defeat of a nation,” Zardari said in an interview with a television channel. “We don’t think the world’s great nations and countries can be held hostage by non-state actors.”
Zardari warned that militants had power to precipitate a war in the region. Talking to the Financial Times, he said provocation by rogue “non-state actors” posed the danger of a return to war between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
“Even if the militants are linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, who do you think we are fighting?” asked Zardari. “We live in troubled times where non-state actors have taken us to war before, whether it is the case of those who perpetrated (the) 9/11 or contributed to the escalation of the situation in Iraq,” said Zardari.
“Now, events in Mumbai tell us that there are ongoing efforts to carry out copycat attacks by militants. We must all stand together to fight out this menace.” “The architects of this calamity in Mumbai have managed to raise a threat on our other (eastern) border. As we have these people (militants) on the run along our western border (with Afghanistan), our attention is being diverted at this critical time,” said Zardari in the telephone interview from
Islamabad. The paper said a war on two fronts would put great strain on Pakistan’s democratic government, which is trying to rescue the country from near bankruptcy while also resisting a terror threat.
Meanwhile, talking to the Ismailis’ spiritual leader Prince Karim Aga Khan at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, President Zardari said baseless allegations by India could derail the peace process. Zardari said they would not compromise on their national integrity and security and India should desist from levelling allegations against Pakistan until there was substantial proof.
He said such statements would greatly affect the peace process between the two countries. Talking about the economic situation, the president said the IMF loan had helped in stabilising economy and the loan would be used for betterment of the people.
Prince Aga Khan urged both Pakistan and India to iron out their differences and work for the betterment of their peoples. He said funding and projects of the Aga Khan Foundation would continue.
Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday said Pakistan will act responsibly in the wake of Mumbai attacks and demanded India to provide evidence before levelling any allegations.
Talking to CNN, Gilani said he has talked to world leaders to diffuse the situation. “We have talked to all our friends that they use their good offices to diffuse the situation,” he said. He was hopeful that there will be no escalation between the two countries in the aftermath of the Mumbai tragedy.
“I think it will be the other way round. It will not escalate because some responsible people have owned the responsibility of the intelligence failure,” he said in an apparent reference to the resignation of Indian home minister.
Gilani said India should provide some proof about Pakistan’s involvement in the Mumbai attacks. “We have yet to see evidence,” he added. He said the attacks were “something unusual” and people in India were in a state of anger. “They were in a state of mind which one can expect at that time. They said in anger something but now the dust has settled down,” he concluded.
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‘Al-Qaeda, Taliban leaders not in Pakistan’
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Qureshi wants result-oriented dialogue with India
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Slaughter of animals, NRO beneficiaries begins on Eid
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WFP, Rescue 15 attacks’ mastermind arrested
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No Indo-Pak FMs meeting: Nirupama
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US to tighten control of Afghan contracts: Gates
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China has stake in Kashmir: Mirwaiz
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Clinton favours Indo-Pak dialogue on Kashmir
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Competition Commission forces PIA to fly fair
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Attack on policemen in Peshawar
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‘Musharraf funnelling money to improve image’
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Sen Lugar’s wife arrested, charged with drinking, hit-and-run
News Desk
WASHINGTON: The wife of Republican Senator Richard G Lugar was arrested in the suburb of McLean on Wednesday night after crashing into a parked car, and she was charged with drunk driving and hit-and-run, the F more |
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briefs...
Bombers kill 23 in Afghanistan
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ISSN 1563-9479 
