Dialogue to check terrorism to continue, Pak tells US

Rezaul H. Laskar
Islamabad, July 1 (PTI) - Amid growing US alarm over
Pakistan's dealings with the Taliban in the restive northwest,
Islamabad today told Washington that it will "never negotiate"
with militants and insisted it was holding a "political
dialogue" with only those elements who gave up their arms.

"Pakistan is convinced that there is a need to address
factors that encourage terrorism.... the government has
initiated a political dialogue with elements that have laid
down arms and joined mainstream political activity," Prime
Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told visiting US Assistant
Secretary of State Richard Boucher during a meeting here.

Boucher arrived here this morning as Pakistan initiated
a major crackdown on militants in the northwestern tribal belt
who had extended their activities to the strategic city of
Peshawar. It is the first such offensive by the new civilian
government led by Gilani since it launched controversial peace
talks with local Taliban militants in March that had raised
hackles in the US.

Boucher is understood to have raised with Gilani
Islamabad's moves to arrive at peace deals with local Taliban
groups.

"We will, however, never negotiate with militants nor
allow foreigners to use our soil against another country,"
Gilani told the US official.

As part of a three-pronged strategy to tackle terrorism,
the government is conducting a political dialogue,
accelerating economic development and reserving the right to
use force if peace agreements are violated, he said.

Boucher said the US has "great interest in the success"
of the democratic government and the economic well-being of
the people of Pakistan.

Boucher, whose visit also comes in the wake of fresh
tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, said the US
"is ready to help resettle Afghan refugees in their country."

In recent days, relations between Pakistan and
Afghanistan hit a new low after Afghan President Hamid Karzai
threatened to send his troops to target the bases of Pakistani
Taliban leaders Baitullah Mehsud and Maulana Fazlullah.

Afghan officials have also blamed Pakistan's
Inter-Services Intelligence agency for a recent assassination
bid on Karzai's life. Pakistan angrily dismissed the
allegations.

"Pakistan is keen to see a stable and strong Afghanistan
in its neighbourhood, which is equally good for both
Afghanistan and Pakistan. There can be no meaningful progress
and development without stability in the region," Gilani said.

He said Pakistan is making "strenuous efforts to
strengthen security" along the border with Afghanistan,
including the installation of a biometric system at entry
points.

Pakistan has also offered to fence the border, he added.

"There is a need for better monitoring of the border
from the Afghanistan side as our side has 900 check posts
compared to about 100 such posts on the Afghan side, which is
inadequate," Gilani said.

He also emphasised the need for early setting up of
US-backed Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZ) to stimulate
economic activity in the North West Frontier Province and
Balochistan.

Gilani also said he is looking forward to meeting US
President George Bush in Washington towards the end of July.

Boucher is also expected to meet President Pervez
Musharraf and other senior Pakistan officials. PTI