Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Pakistani PM rejects Taliban courts

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, Jan 27, IRNA -- Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Tuesday rejected Taliban courts and said they will not be allowed to run a parallel judicial system.

Taliban in the country's insurgency-hit Swat valley have released a list of 43 people – including former and incumbent ministers – who they have declared 'wanted' and liable to punishment under the Taliban sharia.

Taliban leader Maulana Fazalullah asked the ministers, members of parliament, political leaders and prominent figures to appear in their court, prove their innocence and get pardon.

"We will not accept parallel courts of Taliban," Gilani told reporters in Islamabad.

"The Government will not allow Taliban to set up their courts and will sternly deal with them," the Prime Minister said.

He said investigations into the Mumbai attacks are continuing and the result will be shared with India and the world.

When asked about the U.S missile strikes on the tribal regions, the Prime Minister said that Americans have voted Obama for a change and "we hope he will change his policies."

He also hoped that Obama will change policy of drone attacks on Pakistan. He was of the opinion that the U.S policy has not been successful in Afghanistan.

Expressing concern over the law and order situation in Dera Ismail Khan and Balochistan, the Prime Minister said that the government is taking solid steps to improve the law and order situation in the country. He said that the authoities concerned have been directed to submit report regarding today's blast in Dera Ismail Khan and a firing incident in Quetta.

Earlier speaking at an education conference the Prime Minister said, "We should learn not only from the West but also from the East in order to make progress more comprehensive and target oriented".