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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Wednesday said that the detailed strategy to cope with the terrorism and extremism in the wake of consultations with coalition parties and taking stock of the whole situation.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Pervez Kyani briefed the ruling alliance and federal cabinet on national security at Prime Minister House.
Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Maj. Gen. Shujaa and DG Military Intelligence (MI) Maj. Gen. Nadeem Ejaz also attended the briefing with the Army chief.
Co-chairman Pakistan People’s Party Asif Zardari, Pakistan Muslim League (N) leader Mian Nawaz Sharif, Asfandyar Wali of Awami National Party (ANP) and JUI’s Maulana Fazl-ur-Rahman, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Advisor of Interior Rahman Malik, PML-N Chief Shahbaz Sharif, Pakistan envoy in Washington Mehmood Ali Durrani and the minister for Frontier Regions Najmuddin Khan were also present in the briefing at Prime Minister House.
In this extraordinary meeting, the military leadership briefed the ruling coalition government about various national security issues including the situation in frontier regions abutting Afghanistan, tribal areas and Swat.
Gilani said the terrorism and extremism would be put to an end through political strategy and economic progress, adding this entire process will have the staunch army support and the military would be called if needed.
Meanwhile, spokesman of Foreign Office, Muhammad Sadiq at the weekly briefing while commenting on the statement of US CIA Chief said “Any action by NATO forces in tribal areas of Pakistan will be considered an assault on Pakistan.”
He said Pakistan has repeatedly said that any attack inside its territory would be unacceptable.
Regarding disposal of nuclear waste in the country, Muhammad Sadiq said it is strictly regulated in accordance with international standards.
"Our nuclear power stations are under IAEA safeguards which not only keep an oversight on their operations but also on storage of nuclear waste which has to be fully accounted for.”
Speaking just hours after taking office Tuesday, North West Frontier Province chief minister Amir Haider Hoti said the Pakistani government should negotiate directly with militant groups and stop US missile attacks against suspected al-Qaeda targets. Hoti continued, “To some extent, the interests of Pakistan have been sacrificed to the war on terror. We’ve suffered a lot.” His comments come days after a visit from two top US officials—Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte and Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher. Critics saw the trip as a US attempt to pressure Pakistan’s incoming government to maintain the close US ties of President General Pervez Musharraf.
He was addressing a training workshop of JI office bearers here Tuesday, says a JI spokesman in a press release.
He said Pakistan should take extremely serious notice of such threats which also amount to attacking our independence and sovereignty.
He said America has made military operations and air attacks in the tribal areas during the last seven years by taking advantage of Gen Musharraf's coward policies, who shamelessly tolerated the naked aggression of American and NATO forces on Pakistani territory but also owned it as Pakistani forces' work in order to continue his illegal rule.
He said Musharraf continued using Pakistan army against Pakistani people until Feb 18 when situation changed after Musharraf's party suffered worst electoral defeat, paving way for a real democratic government in the country. A really democratic government was against the expectations of Washington and American officials kept visiting Islamabad to convince and 'force' new political leadership to continue with Gen Musharraf and American War on Terror, he said. Munawar added that recently, John Negroponte and Richard Boucher visited country when the formation of new government was in final phase and held extensive meetings but failed in their objectives. The statement of CIA director is part of the same strategy, he said.
Munawar said the issue of presence of Osama bin Laden, Al Qaeda and Taliban in tribal areas is not new, and it has been raised time and again by Americans and their agents. But this time a slight change has been made by stating that Al Qaeda has recruited 'White Western people' to attack American interests. Munawar said Washington has always displayed hypocritical policies towards Pakistan. At one hand Washington terms future of Gen Musharraf as Pakistan's internal matter and supports democracy in the country, but on the other it secretly endeavors to continue Gen Musharraf in president's House and taking all possible measures in this regard including hurling threats to invade Pakistan despite that Democracy has established in the country.
Munawar asked Pakistani rulers to display courageous response to American threats and stick to their stance of reviewing Musharraf's policies on War against Terror and to make all decisions in the parliament in this regard. He reminded the rulers that if they displayed courage the people of Pakistan will fully back them, and no power on earth could harm a government backed by power of people.
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