Military operation to continue till writ of government fully restored: President Zardari

Military operation to continue till writ of government fully restored: President Zardari
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has said that the extremists in the country’s northwest have been defeated and dissipated but the military operation will continue till the writ of the government is fully restored.In an interview with the Chinese news agency Xinhua before leaving for China, the President said, “We expect the military operation to continue till the writ of the Government has been fully restored. The internally displaced people are being resettled,” he said answering a question by Xinhua.

“Democracy is always a format of dialogue. But no body would be allowed to take law in their hands and extremism would not be tolerated,” he said, adding “now all the Pakistanis are of the same opinion that they would not tolerate extremism. And the tolerance message which the political forces of the day and the people of Pakistan want is to cohabit and live with each other in harmony and peace.”
President Zardari said that the social and administrative infrastructure has been restored and the normalcy is returning to the areas in Swat, Malakand and Buner in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province.

“The process of development has been initiated. The economic activity is picking up gradually,” he said, adding that the schools and hospitals have started functioning in the areas and utilities have been restored.

However, he said, the army will continue to remain in the area to assist the civil authorities and to eliminate the pockets of resistance in remote areas.

The President also said that Pakistan’s leadership, the security institutions and people are firmly resolved to fight militancy and eliminate extremism from all parts of the country.

“It is a fight for the survival and we must win it,” he said.

Talking about the country’s economy, Zardari said that it had significantly lost growth momentum and the real GDP grew by modest two percent in 2008-09 on the back of strong performance of the agriculture sector.

But he said that this modest growth seems to be satisfactory when viewed in the backdrop that the domestic environment is affected by the intensification of war on terror and volatile security situation while external environment is affected by the deepening of the global financial crisis which penetrated into domestic economy through the route of substantial decline in Pakistan’s exports and a visible slowdown in foreign direct inflows.

He pledged that the focus of the government policies is to revive economic growth in a stable environment.

Talking about his vision of Pakistan, Zardari said, “I feel Pakistan has a great future. We have all the fundamentals to become much a larger economy than we are today, which would translate into betterment of our people, our growth can be much more. So my vision is to take Pakistan to the same level as your (China’s) growth.”

About the presidential elections in Afghanistan and the two neighbours’ cooperation in war on terror, President Zardari said that it is the choice of the Afghan people as far as who is going to be the new president.

“Pakistan and Afghanistan are already cooperating on war on terror. We have many bilateral meetings, many trilateral meetings with the Afghan government,” he said.

Zardari said that there is much more trust between Pakistan and Afghanistan with setting up of special centers on the border.

“So if we can manage to overcome our difficulties and that in turn will automatically help Afghanistan, give them the advantage of getting over their difficulties,” he said.

About China’s economic progress, President Zardari said that China’s economic and social prosperity will contribute to the international peace and prosperity.

The President wished Pakistan’s northern neighboring state all the success in economic and social fields.

On bilateral relations, Zardari said Pakistan and China enjoy excellent relations which have evolved into a multi-faceted, strategic cooperative partnership.

“China is Pakistan’s all-weather and time-tested friend. We greatly value our cherished friendship and have complete trust on all bilateral, regional and global issues,” he said.

In a message to the Chinese nation which will mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of their country on October 1, the President said, “The people of Pakistan are proud of you and proud of your achievements. Being an example in the region to all the nations which have been brought to turmoil, that inspires all of us.”

Zardari said, “We have seen a growth of double digit since last 20 years in China, and that is transcended into economic growth of the individual. Today every Chinese is feeling the advantage and benefiting from the progress that China has made.”

On his fourth visit to China, Zardari said, “The reason that I keep going to China is to learn and educate myself, then transfer what I can experience and see, and then translate that success to Pakistan and accordingly hope to do better for my nation.”

On measures taken by the Chinese government to deal with the riots in Urumuqi in early July, President Zardari said Pakistan supports China’s position on all issues.

“We are glad that the situation in Urumuqi has been brought under control. We believe that China’s policy of social harmony and development is producing great results for all Chinese people,” he said.

He said the economic development in China is unprecedented and all ethnic groups in China would benefit from it.