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| India-Pakistan |
| Force 'last option' against militants, says NWFP CM |
| 2008-04-02 |
| Authorities should only use force as a last resort against militants near the Afghan border, newly elected NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti said on Tuesday. Addressing the provincial assembly after being confirmed for the chief minister slot by Speaker Karamatullah Chagharmati, he said the use of force in the past made it harder to bring peace to the province. He said his government would, instead, promote dialogue at all levels. “We’ll make every effort to restore peace in the province. We’ll form traditional jirgas for peace,” he said. Law and order: The chief minister said that he would announce a policy statement after receiving the vote of confidence from the House. However, he said law and order was the biggest challenge to the NWFP, adding that a large number of people had been killed in terrorist activities and there was a lot of destruction in the province. Hoti also said that provincial autonomy, unemployment, inflation, absence of foreign and local investment and lack of industries were some of the challenges facing his government. Urging the international community to understand that people in the region were not terrorists, Hoti said, “We want peace. We want education. We don’t want suicide jackets and guns.” |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Okay - so make poison the first option... |
| Posted by: 3dc 2008-04-02 12:19 |