Nawaz Sharif says use of force against Taliban will be last option

Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, has said that use of force against the Pakistani Taliban will be a last option as he does not want more bloodshed.

“We are ready to hold dialogue with those who are ready to shun extremism. We have more than one option to deal with terrorists, but shall use force only as a last option as we want to avoid further loss of innocent lives,” the Prime Minister told Turkish daily “Today’s Zaman” during his Turkey’s visit.

“The menace of terrorism in our region is the outcome of wrong policies in the past. Our challenge is to root out this menace from our midst. Pakistan needs the cooperation and support of international community and our neighbors for controlling funding, supply of arms and training to the terror networks,” he said.

Nawaz Sharif said he last week invited all political parties in the country to cooperate with the government in collectively addressing the problems facing the country. “This offer of mutual consultation and reconciliation is not limited to political parties only.”

On relations with India, he said his government is determined to improve relations with India to divert resources to the welfare of the people.

“In order to relieve the people of India and Pakistan from poverty and illiteracy, it is incumbent on the leadership of both the countries to sit together and ponder over these issues. I have always given high priority to good relations with India for the sake of durable peace in the region,” the Prime Minister said. 

He showed concerns at the tensions along the Line of Control and said the recent tensions are indeed a matter of concern for his government.

“Pakistan will continue to respond to the situation with restraint and responsibility. I renew Pakistan’s commitment to a serious, sustained and constructive engagement with India that must include the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir.”

To a question about the US drone strikes, he said the US strategy of using drone strikes in Pakistan against terrorists not only violate our sovereignty and international law but are also counterproductive and causes further radicalization in the society.

“These strikes undermine our collective efforts to counter extremism and terrorism. We hope that there is a rethink in the US about the utility of the drone strikes,” Nawaz Sharif said.

On relations with Turkey, Nawaz Sharif vowed to put structures in place to boost trade and economic ties between what he described as “one nation, two states.”

He said that his “visit is aimed at putting in place institutional mechanisms, which will provide a strong platform for further cementing economic ties.”

He underlined the excellent political relations between the two countries: “A huge reservoir of goodwill and affection flows from one country to another.” Sharif lamented, however, that there is a long way to go to translate these excellent political relations into tangible and robust trade relations.

He called on Turkish businesspeople and entrepreneurs to invest in Pakistan, especially in sectors like energy, infrastructure, engineering and agro-based industry. Citing recent success stories involving Turkish companies in Pakistan, like Lahore’s Metro Bus System and a wind energy project in Sindh, Sharif called Pakistan an investor-friendly country that offers complete legal protection and fair treatment to both local and foreign companies.

Sharif is leading a large business delegation to Turkey and their meetings coincide with the Third High Level Cooperation Council. On Wednesday, Sharif will participate in a business forum in ?stanbul to be attended by Pakistani and Turkish businesspeople.

Sharif emphasized Turkey’s role as a bridge between Asia and Europe, and Pakistan’s potential to become a gateway to energy-rich Central Asia.

Education is the nation’s top priority in ensuring equal opportunity and social justice, he said, adding that Turkish support and technical assistance in transforming Pakistan’s education system would be welcome. 

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Posted by Tahir Khan on Sep 17 2013. Filed under Latest News, National, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.