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| India-Pakistan |
| Nawaz wants national conference on terrorism |
| 2010-07-05 |
| Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif has said his party is ready to convene a national conference to address the root causes of terrorism and to chalk out a national policy to deal with the threat. Addressing a press conference at his residence in Raiwind on Saturday, Nawaz said that if the government called such a conference, the PML-N would ensure its active participation in the event. Nawaz urged the government not to "look towards" the US to decide the country's fate and instead take the initiative in negotiating with the Taliban. "They (the US) are holding talks with the Taliban, so Islamabad should adopt the same policy at local level," he said. He pointed out that terrorism was directly linked to the government's foreign policy. He also called for the implementation of the suggestions of the National Assembly's committee on national security. The PML-N leader claimed that the Interior Ministry and the intelligence agencies working under its control were not cooperating and sharing information with the Punjab government. "No evidence regarding the presence of terrorists in southern Punjab has been found," he said. Condemning Thursday's terror attacks on Data Darbar in Lahore, the PML-N chief expressed his sympathies with families of all those who had lost their loved ones in the attack. He stated that he had suggested to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif that a new counter-terrorism force should be formed to combat terrorists in the province. Nawaz warned that terrorism was expanding at an alarming rate. "No place in the country is safe these days and the terrorists can strike anywhere including mosques, hospitals, hotels, restaurants and even the army headquarters," he said. However, Nawaz said he was not facing any threat from extremists and terrorists. "Unfortunately, in the prevailing situation, a few political parties and ministers are indulging in point scoring," he said, adding that it was being suggested that the Punjab government was somehow responsible for the terrorist attacks. He said that statements of some federal ministers were "extremely unpleasant and awkward" and they could damage the integrity of the country. |
| Posted by:Fred |