Pakistan is not only a key US ally in the global war on terrorism but itself a victim of terrorism. Despite a wide range of problems facing this country, Pakistan has never backed out of its commitment to fight terrorism, which is evident from the ongoing military operation in the lush-green valley of Swat and the adjoining areas. To better understand Pakistan's current position and its future plans to tackle Talebanization, Saudi Gazette caught up with Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani last week in Islamabad. The soft-spoken Pakistan premier is confronted with a host of issues, the major of them being the rehabilitation of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and the ongoing military operation against the unscrupulous elements bent upon challenging the writ of his government to the fragile political situation of the country. Despite all the issues facing his government, Gilani sounds quite optimistic in steering his country out of the current crises. Expressing his firm resolve against militancy in Pakistan with a particular reference to Swat, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said that he was determined to take every action to expose the Taleban and win over public opinion in Pakistan against the forces of extremism and “bloodshed”. Talking to the SG, he said that the Pakistan Taleban had already completely lost all public sympathy due to their violent conduct, myopic view of Islam and anti-state activities. Q: What is your government's strategy to combat terrorism? How are you planning to deal with the threat of Talebanization of Pakistan? A: We are trying to employ a holistic approach in dealing with the complex issue of terrorism and pursuing a multifaceted strategy, which encompasses law enforcement, political, social, cultural, financial and diplomatic measures. Broadly, the government is implementing a three-pronged strategy commonly known as the three Ds strategy. The three Ds are: Dialogue: With those who are ready to surrender their arms, renounce violence and pledge to live as peaceful citizens. Development: This implies allocation of funds for socioeconomic development, infrastructure building and creation of employment opportunities. Deterrence: This involves use of force against those who refuse to renounce violence and continue to perpetrate acts of terrorism. In pursuit of the counter terrorism strategy, the cornerstone of our policy is to confront terror and militancy with unrelenting force. Apart from the three Ds, he says, to effectively deal with the threat of Talebanization, the government has introduced a policy of reformation of madrasas (religious schools), which is one of the principal components of our long-term strategy to tackle extremism. Imparting religious education through madrasas is a centuries-old tradition of the Islamic world. These institutions, which proliferated during the Afghan war of the 80s, have been functioning free from any government control and supervision. As a result some of them grew into hotbeds of hatred, intolerance, sectarianism and terrorism. We are determined to bring these madrasas into the mainstream of public education system through a number of reforms, which also includes a review of the curriculum of these madrasas. We want to remove matter, which creates disharmony and promotes intolerance, from the curriculum. A comprehensive media campaign is being worked out to deny space to terrorists. Our government is making an effort to occupy maximum space to project its viewpoints. The National Counter Terrorism Authority has been established at the Federal Level. The government is endeavoring to mobilize the masses against extremists and their ideology. Response to terrorism can never solely depend upon the state and law enforcement. It also depends upon active commitment of civil society and communities against extremism and terrorism. Last but not the least, we need to reclaim our faith and religion from the men of violence. We can do much more to exploit the weaknesses of extremism and terrorism. Terrorist ideology should no more remain uncontrollable. Our government is asking the enlightened people and the religious scholars to come forward and play their roles.We stress the need for the latest equipment and capacity building of the Frontier Constabulary and Frontier Corps as the ongoing military operation is not a permanent solution to the problem. The area also requires bomb-resistant police stations and jamming of illegal FM radio transmission to counter negative propaganda. Q: Looking back, do you think that Swat agreement was a wrong decision? A: Reconciliation and consensus is one of the main planks of our government's policy. The peace resolution was passed respecting the traditions and culture of the area. The provincial government had signed the agreement with all sincerity and in good faith. The understanding reached after the Nizam e Adl regulation was that the militants would lay down their arms, bring complete peace to these areas and there would be no violence or attacks on civilian and military forces or property. The federal government supported the provincial government in all sincerity with a view to avoiding bloodshed and discomfort of its citizens. But I regret to state that instead of ensuring peace, common citizens were terrorized and killed, the writ of the government was challenged, the personnel of the law-enforcing agencies were made hostage, and government property was destroyed or forcefully occupied. Under these circumstances, the government was left with no other option but to order a military crackdown against he miscreants. Q: There are fears that the process of Talibanization could spread all over Pakistan. What are your comments? A: I dispel the impression and fear among some sections of the society that the Talibanization process could spread all over Pakistan. There is no place for force and excess in Islam. Islam is a religion of peace and brotherhood and directs good treatment towards the non Muslims. I assure you that the entire nation, all the political parties, civil society, religious groups, scholars and other sections of society are united against all kinds of extremism. They believe in the true spirit of Islam. These are a handful of people (terrorists) who are not sincere to Islam as well as Muslims. Insha'Allah, we will fight them bravely and strengthen the defense of the country. They have already completely lost all public sympathy due to their violent conduct, myopic view of Islam and anti-state activities. Q: How is your government dealing with the crisis caused by the military operations in Swat, the biggest humanitarian crisis in Pakistan since 1947? A: The militants had laid down mines in the area in an attempt to inflict maximum casualties during relaxation of the curfew, but these were cleared by the Pakistan army personnel. I have already announced a comprehensive strategy for the Internally Displaced persons (IDPs) and announced that a special support group at the federal level will be constituted, which will organize an international donors conference. All the matters relating to the IDPs will be looked after by the NWFP government and the role of the special support group, headed by Lt. Gen. Nadeem Ahmed, will be that of a coordinator. I appeal to the people to donate generously for the displaced persons and urge the parliamentarians to visit their camps. Q: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have enjoyed historical, deep-rooted and cordial strategic relations. What is your assessment of the progress made in this partnership? A: Pakistan-Saudi Arabia relations are of unique and exemplary nature, which are clearly manifested by the frequency of high-level visits, most notably at the leadership level, exchanged between the two states. Both sides have had unanimity of views on all bilateral, regional and international issues. The 1.2-million-strong Pakistani community in Saudi Arabia is contributing toward the progress and development of the Kingdom and adding to the strength of our mutual friendship. The multifaceted cooperation between the two countries is firmly based on institutional linkages and strong trade and commercial ties. Saudi companies have made significant investments in Pakistan in diverse fields. Our bilateral trade has grown tremendously over the years and stands at $ 5.7 billion. Saudi Arabia is also an important part of the “Friends of Democratic Pakistan” Group. Saudi Arabia has always provided generous assistance to Pakistan in difficult times. The relief assistance extended by the Saudi government for the victims of the devastating earthquake in 2005 as well as the 2008 earthquake in Balochistan will remain etched in our memories. The Saudi Fund for Development has been playing an important role in financing various development projects in Pakistan. The Saudi-Pakistan Industrial and Agricultural Investments Company Limited (SAPAICO) is playing an important role in financing industrial and agro-based projects. Last year, the Board of Investment, in collaboration with the Saudi Arabia General Investment Authority (SAGIA) and the Council of Saudi Chambers held two investment conferences in Riyadh and Jeddah, which were a big success. Q: What in your opinion is the scope of the new Saudi-Pak partnership developing into strategic cooperation for the cause of peace in South Asia, the Middle East and the world at large? A: We hope to enhance the profile of our relations with Saudi Arabia to the level of a strategic partnership for peace and development in the region and the world at large. For this purpose, we intend to hold a regular strategic dialogue with Saudi Arabia covering various aspects of our bilateral relations, global political developments, regional and international disputes and conflicts, issues relating to the Ummah as well as interfaith dialogue augmenting the positive role of the United Nations and other international organizations in resolving disputes and problems confronting the international community. We also intend to institute a “strategic dialogue” between Pakistan and the GCC countries. Q: Indo-Pakistan relations have run into rough waters in the aftermath of the last year's Mumbai attacks. How can this relationship be normalized? A: Unfortunately, the process of “composite dialogue” was affected by the Mumbai attacks, which the Pakistan government had strongly condemned. Pakistan has consistently maintained that instead of indulging in a blame-game both sides should, without further delay, resume dialogue. There is also a need to address the long-standing issue of Jammu and Kashmir, which is the core dispute that has bedeviled the relations and vitiated the security environment in South Asia. We believe that in order to address the scourge of terrorism and extremism we need to have a cooperative engagement. Instead of putting a halt on the process of composite dialogue, it would be better if the process is resumed to address these issues, which affect not only Pakistan and India but the entire region. Q: In your view, how can the Kashmir issue be resolved once and for all? A: Pakistan is committed to a just and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council's resolutions and aspirations of the Kashmiri people. Regrettably, for more than six decades, this issue has remained unresolved despite several attempts at bilateral and multilateral levels. We wish to see an early solution of this issue. We call upon India to engage with us in a constructive and meaningful way to find a solution that is acceptable to all parties, in particular the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Q: What are your views on the situation in Iraq? A: We are happy with the overall improving security situation in Iraq. Pakistan attaches great importance to Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity. For us the most important concern is the well-being of the citizens of Iraq. We would like the international community, especially the UN and other international organizations, to coordinate their efforts to help mitigate the sufferings of the Iraqi people. We welcome US President Obama's announcement of withdrawal of all US combat troops from Iraq by Sept. 2010. We believe this is the step in the right direction. The provincial elections in Iraq, held on Jan. 31, 2009, are also a positive development. The government of Pakistan has decided to reopen its Embassy in Baghdad, which was closed a few years ago due to the adverse security environment. Q: How do you see the future relationship with the Arab world? A: Pakistan takes immense pride in its brotherly relations with all the Arab countries. Geographical proximity, shared history, culture, and religion provide strong bases for this relationship. Our desire is to further strengthen this relationship not only in bilateral terms with individual countries but also in terms of our engagements with the Arab world's primary multilateral forum – the Arab League. The global political scenario necessitates an enhanced level of political and economic cooperation and coordination between Pakistan and the Middle East. Nature has blessed us with abundant resources. We need to direct these resources to fight hunger and poverty. We must chalk out a common strategy to address these challenges. In this regard, we believe that multilateral organizations such as the OIC and the Arab League can play a pivotal role. Q: In your view, how can peace prevail in the Middle East? What are your views on the Arab Peace Plan initiated by King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques? A: We have always been very categorical in our statements with regard to our commitment to the Palestinian cause. We support the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. For peace to prevail, we believe there should be total withdrawal of Israel from the occupied Arab territories, including Jerusalem, and the restitution of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including establishment of an independent Palestinian homeland with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. That is why we have fully endorsed the Saudi peace plan – launched in 2002 – and feel that it is a commendable effort to secure comprehensive and sustainable peace in the Middle East. Meanwhile, lifting of the Israeli siege on Gaza is a priority. The role of the international community is also very important in this regard. It must undertake measures aimed at alleviating the immediate suffering and repairing of the physical damage caused by the recent Israeli offensive in Gaza. __
