Pak doing its best to fight terror, but warns against unilateral US strike

Pakistans Foreign Secretary Riaz Muhammad Khan has said Pakistan is doing its best to fight terrorism, but warned that unilateral US military action in the countrys tribal areas would have dangerous consequences both for Islamabad and Washington.

Washington, Oct 5 : Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Riaz Muhammad Khan has said Pakistan is doing its best to fight terrorism, but warned that unilateral US military action in the country's tribal areas would have dangerous consequences both for Islamabad and Washington.

Addressing the Council on Foreign Relations here, Khan said there was no simple solution to the problem.

"Nothing can be done overnight - people will have to be understanding and be patient with us. We are making this effort, first and foremost in our own interest, but the world has an interest in the success of our effort. We also have certain expectations from the world, particularly from the US," he added.

Khan said that any unilateral US military action would weaken the government in Islamabad and would be unpopular with the Pakistani public, adding: "Our hand should be strengthened, not weakened."

He reminded Americans that Pakistan has already lost over 1,000 soldiers while fighting insurgents.

Pakistan, he said, is willing to increase its coordination with the US for fighting the Taliban and al Qaeda militants hiding in the tribal belt, but Washington should not contemplate unilateral military action.

During the question hour, Khan disagreed with the view that there was a pause in Pakistan confronting the insurgency problem in tribal areas, and pointed out that the situation in the region has been compounded by other factors, including drug trafficking and warlords.

Khan rejected the suggestion that Pakistani soldiers did not have the will to tackle militants, and said the response to the week-long siege by Islamists in July of the Red Mosque in Islamabad showed their determination.

Khan said there was no way Pakistan was accommodating al Qaeda or, other such groups in Quetta, as has been alleged.

He said that pointing a finger at Pakistan only exhibited a failure to realise the enormity and complexity of the challenge that terrorism poses.

Khan said that the age-old institution of tribal 'maliks' is being reinstated and the Frontier Corps is being strengthened, and added: "We have expectations that our hands should be strengthened rather than weakened."

He said that socio-economic development is key to fighting terrorism.

"Socio-economic development is the key to the war against terrorism, as it is the key to success in countering extremism," he said.

Commenting on Siachen dispute resolution, Khan stated that human activity in Siachen is accelerating the melting of the glacier, and underlined the need for a resolution of the dispute.

"Everybody is concerned about global warming and the Himalayan glaciers. If the Himalayan glaciers start melting, it would be a disastrous situation for both India and Pakistan," he cautioned.

ANI