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Most of Pakistani political parties support Swat military operation

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, May 18, IRNA -- Most political parties attending All Parties Conference here Monday backed counterinsurgency operation in Swat assuring full support for government.

However, Jamat Islami Pakistan and some other political parties expressed their reservations over the operation in Swat and said that the government should have taken the nation into confidence by holding an APC before launching of the counterinsurgency drive.

The All Parties Conference being convened by the Prime Minister was attended by the leaders of major political parties, including PML (N)’s Nawaz Sharif, JUI’s Fazlur Rehman, MQM’s Farooq Sattar, ANP’s Asfandyar Wali Khan, Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Imran Khan, Awami Muslim League’s Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, PML(Q)’s Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, PPP(Sherpao’s) Aftab Ahmad Sherpao and several others.

The political leaders speaking at the moot urged the government to provide better facilities to the displaced persons.

The Prime Minister said in his address that the army will remain deployed in Malakand till the restoration of peace and the return of the IDPs to their homes.

He said that the army action against the militants in Swat Valley was successfully continuing, "however it is not the permanent solution to the problem."

"This conference is reflected that we are capable to resolve problems on our own", he added.

Gilani said that the government has always adopted the policy of dialogue, deterrence and development in tribal areas, for which it has faced criticism from political forces for ‘following the foreign directives.’

Reconciliation policy was adopted on Swat and Malakand situation.The Federal government expressed satisfaction when the NWFP government made a peace deal with TNSM. The agreement was tabled in National Assembly, which was approved and later, signed by President Asif Zardari.

The Prime Minister said that unfortunately peace did not restore in the region despite the implementation of Nizam-e-Adl. He said that the Swat militants have destroyed the educational institutions and hospitals. "Sufi Muhammad and comrades challenged the writ of government", he added.

He mentioned numerous cases, including the flogging of a girl, the desecration of sufi shrines, the forcing of people to follow the Taliban’s interpretation of Islam and the training of youngsters to become terrorists, as the main reasons that encouraged the government to call the army in to the area.

Premier Gilani made it clear that Pakistan’s nuclear assets are completely safe and that the global concerns in this connection are baseless.