Dr Shireen Mazari, vice president Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for policy planning, national security and foreign affairs, has welcomed Pakistan military's decision to combat terrorism using national resources. However, on behalf of the PTI, she pointed out that terrorism can only be successfully combated when there is a comprehensive national counter terrorism policy that embraces political, economic and military aspects of the problem.
Unfortunately, there has been no effort to have a cohesive and co-ordinated counter terrorism policy to date since the rulers have been busy fulfilling the US agenda and toeing the US's unsuccessful and misnamed "war on terror". It is time to move beyond cheap rhetoric and prove one's resolve by deeds.
Dr Mazari condemned the continuing drone attacks against Pakistan, in which primarily civilians are dying. That the Pakistani state is continuing to be party to the killing of its own people despite the direct political, diplomatic and military assault now launched on Pakistan itself by the US, is a shameful reflection of the inability of the Pakistani rulers to extricate themselves from the US web of destruction which is rapidly targeting Pakistan on all fronts.-PR