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| Militants on the run, says PM |
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Wednesday, November 11, 2009
By Asim Yasin
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said the recent wave of terrorist and suicide attacks is the militants’ reaction to the Army’s operation in their stronghold of South Waziristan.
He said the militants were particularly targeting the personnel of law-enforcement agencies after the Army had taken control of their stronghold. “This may continue for some time as the militants are on the run but the federal and provincial governments as well as the entire nation are united to face the challenge,” he said while responding to a number of queries raised by legislators in the National Assembly on the recent terrorist attacks, particularly in the NWFP.
The prime minister said: “They are trying to demoralise personnel of our law-enforcement agencies but they would fail in their designs.” The prime minister, who returned to Islamabad from his daylong visit to Skardu, assured the House that all available resources were being utilised to fight the menace of terrorism and extremism in an effective manner.
“The provincial governments on their own cannot meet the challenge and that is why the federal government is providing the necessary resources for capacity building of the law-enforcement agencies,” he added.
He said resources were being made available even by diverting money from development funds and more funds would be provided during the next financial year. Gilani said he had urged the provinces to demonstrate the same spirit of sacrifice as they showed during the Malakand operation, and provide relief goods for the displaced persons of South Waziristan.
He paid rich tributes to the troops and members of the law-enforcement agencies for the sacrifices they were rendering in the war against terror.Earlier, replying to a call-attention notice, Minister of State for Finance and Economic Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar told the House that out of Rs 421 billion allocated for the PSDP in the current financial year, Rs 85 billion were released during the first quarter.
She pointed out that this constituted 20 per cent of the allocations as compared to the last three years’ average of 15 per cent releases during the first quarter. The minister said in the first quarter, the revenue inflows were always slow.
She said during this quarter the government expected to receive more than $500 million out of the $5.2 billion pledged at the Tokyo Donors’ conference. She said an agreement had just been signed with the Saudi Fund for Development for $300 million, which would be available within the next fortnight. Similarly, she said $174 million would be received from the United States this week.
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