Federal Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira has said parliament's decision on Kerry-Lugar Bill will be accepted, however the government will not step back in the war against terrorism and that most of government's measures have proved right with the due passage of time. He further said terror attack on GHQ did not mean that defence was weak.
"We did not compromise on our nuclear programme in the past, nor will do in future. Shaheed Bhutto laid his life for the same programme." Attack in Rawalpindi was not a security lapse and the army personnel foiled terrorism at the General Headquarters, as the terrorists were effectively obstructed at the first picket established to check intruders.
He was talking to the media after addressing on the second day of regional conference titled "Women in Media: Challenges, Opportunities and Partnership, organised by the South Asian Women in Media (SAWM) at a hotel here on Sunday.
He said terrorists were desperate and were on the run but the law enforcement agencies and the army was fully prepared to handle and defeat them.
He further said terrorism had been routed out from Swat and isolated incidents would soon stop. In response to a question, he said, "Kerry-Lugar Bill was not a loan but an assistance by the US administration, which has nothing to do with Pakistan's national integrity and security concerns."
He said Pakistan was faced with numerous challenges, including terrorism, economic and energy crises, dearness, unemployment and poverty etc, and the government was fighting all these challenges very effectively by taking pragmatic measures.
He said, "US troops could not establish peace in Kabul, however Pakistan Army fully controlled the law and order situation in Swat within a few weeks." The minister said terrorism was not only a huge challenge for Pakistan but also for the entire South Asia. However, Pakistan showed excellent performance, while combating the menace of terrorism through effective and result oriented operations, he said, citing that peace could not be restored yet in neighbouring Afghanistan despite presence of best armies of the world.
Pakistan's armed forces made landmark achievements in very difficult areas of Swat within 10 weeks by launching effective offensive against the terrorists and extremists. 'Now the 2.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) have returned to their hometowns and rehabilitation activities are under way there,' he pointed out.
Kaira said Pakistan's security agencies were performing well on borders as well as in the country to eliminate extremism and terrorism from the society. Kerry-Lugar Bill, he added, did not contain conditions that were in conflict with the stated policies of Pakistan that included opposition to dictatorship, terrorism and nuclear proliferation.
The US administration was not imposing anything upon Pakistan, "it is up to us whether or not to accept this assistance," he said, adding that the bill was drafted much before the present government came into power.
In the past, he said, no such bills, including Pressler amendment were debated in the national assembly, however, the present PPP-led democratic government had full credit of putting every matter of national interest before the parliament to get its nod. The assistance under this bill, he added, would ensure economic prosperity and strengthen democratic set-up in the country.
Qamar Zaman Kaira said Pakistan People's Party lost its founder chairperson for initiating Pakistan's nuclear programme and the party would never compromise on country's nuclear programme. The minister said, "The operation against the terrorists is not an area specific operation but the civilian law enforcement agencies in different areas can be asked to take action against the terrorists."
"Terrorism is a menace which is symbolic of a particular mind-set. It has many facets and the government is fighting a war for peace in the country. We want peace in all parts of the world," he added.
Regarding blasts in Afghanistan, Kaira said Pakistan did not want to destabilise Afghanistan. terrorism was a phenomenon which could not be controlled through military might otherwise no terrorist acts should occur in Afghanistan in the presence of all the military might, he added.
When asked to comment on the opposition on the Kerry-Lugar Bill, he said difference of opinion was the beauty of democratic government and people were free to have their own points of view on the issue.
He said the bill had been presented in the parliament, which was the right forum for debate and reach consensus. Earlier, addressing the conference, Kaira invited India for resumption of composite dialogue and avoid blame game in the best interest of regional peace but clarified "We'll not cooperate merely to please India."
"India must understand that there are some interest groups which are bent upon sabotaging our efforts for regional peace and co-operation," he said. Lauding the Pak Army, he said, "Terrorists have a huge network and we have successfully disbanded the organisational set up of the terrorist outfits in mere 10 months in Malakand and Swat. The first-tier leadership of the terrorists is under attack and we would get rid of their leaders shortly. We are destined to win the war against terrorism."
"We are fighting war against terrorism for the World Peace as we believe that if Pakistan fails in combating terrorism, it would create chaos in the world," he said. Kaira said peace in the neighbouring country was a guarantee for peace in Pakistan as well as in the region. Dilating upon the Waziristan operation, the federal minister clarified that the operation was against the terrorist outfits, which pose a threat to peace and not against the people of Waziristan.
The federal minister said Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) had already been given autonomy, while the situation was different in Gilgit-Baltistan. "Gilgit-Baltistan people had felt deprived for years as all their affairs were dealt by the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs," he said.
He said they had given the people of Gilgit and Baltistan their due rights through self-government. "We also stand firm on all the UN resolutions on Kashmir," the minister added. He rejected the impression that GHQ incident was a security lapse and some ex-servicemen might have been involved in the attempted attacks on GHQ. "Donning military uniforms does not mean that terrorists belong to or served in the army," he said.
When asked about Shahbaz-Kayani meeting, the minister said Shahbaz Sharif himself was the right man to comment on the issue. Qamar Zaman Kaira said the PML-N was a democratic force and it did not have fears from the MQM if the latter had started political activities in Punjab.
Responding to a question by a delegate, the minister said a committee headed by Senator Raza Rabbani had been constituted to review the 17th amendment. The committee had invited suggestions from intellectuals, barristers and opinion makers and would soon submit its report. He reassured that the Constitution would be restored to the real spirit of 1973 Constitution.
Qamar Zaman Kaira lauded the role of women in the media and said "South Asian Women in Media (SAWM) was a landmark step which would go a long way in resolving the problems of women." He said media ethics commission was the need of the hour. The government had provided facilities to train women in all state media institutions, he concluded.