Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Religious extremism can destroy Pakistan: Musharraf

IRNA

Islamabad, Nov 21, IRNA -- Pakistan`s President General Pervez 
Musharraf has expressed concerns that religious extremism and violent 
sectarianism could destroy the country. 
Talking to senior journalists here at an Iftar dinner on Thursday,
Musharraf said he was very serious in cracking down on all 
manifestations of extremism, asking media and civil society to speak 
out against it too. 
This observation comes within a week after the government banned 
six religious groups in a bid to root out extremism and sectarianism, 
sealing their offices and freezing their bank assets. 
President Musharraf also ruled out possibility of return of exiled
opposition leaders, Ms. Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, for the time 
being. Both are alleged to have misused power. 
About seething parliamentary crisis, Musharraf said that the 
impasse arising out of the introduction of Legal Framework Order (LFO)
would be resolved in near future. 
LFO is a constitutional amendment package, introduced by 
Musharraf, which the opposition believes undermines the Parliament. 
The opposition, rejecting LFO as unconstitutional unless approved 
by the Parliament`s two-thirds majority, has been agitating inside and
outside the Parliament. 
Pakistan`s president said, there was no serious external threat to
the country. However, Musharraf added that focus should be on 
addressing the internal weaknesses. 
TSH/AA/210 
End