ID :
34739
Wed, 12/10/2008 - 08:51
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/34739
The shortlink copeid
Zardari cautions India against "hasty judgements" post Mumbai
New York, Dec 9 (PTI) Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has pledged to take action against "non-state actors" responsible for Mumbai terror attacks, but made an emotional appeal to India against "hasty judgements" and "inflammatory statements".
Zardari said that all "non-state actors" found in his
country would be treated like "terrorists and murderers" and
said Pakistan was committed to "pursuit, arrest, trial and
punishment of anyone involved in these heinous attacks".
In an emotionally charged article in the New York Times,
Zardari said that Mumbai attacks were directed not only
against India but also against Pakistan's new democratic
government and the peace process "we have initiated with New
Delhi".
"Supporters of authoritarianism in Pakistan and non-state
actors with vested interest in perpetuating conflict do not
want change in Pakistan to take root," he wrote.
"Not only are the terrorists not linked to the government
of Pakistan in any way," the President said adding "we are
their targets and we continue to be their victims".
The best response to the Mumbai carnage is for India,
Pakistan and the US to coordinate in counteracting the scourge
of terrorism, Zardari wrote, asserting that he well understood
the pain of terror victims given that his wife, former
Pakistan Premier Benazir Bhutto was also assassinated in a
terror attack.
"Pakistan is committed to the pursuit, arrest, trial and
punishment of anyone involved in these heinous acts. But we
caution against hasty judgements and inflammatory statements,"
Zardari wrote.
Referring to Sunday's raids conducted on Lashker-e-Toiba
militants, including the arrest of suspected Mumbai attack
mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhwi, Zardari pledged that Pakistan
will take action against non-state actors found within its
territory, "treating them as criminals, terrorists and
murders".
To foil the designs of the terrorists, Zardari said the
"two great nations of Pakistan and India, born together from
the same revolution and mandate in 1947," must continue to
move forward with the peace process.
"Pakistan is shocked at the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
We can identify with India's pain. I feel this pain every time
I look into the eyes of my children," he said, recalling
referring to the assassination of Bhutto.
He said the terrorists who killed his wife are "connected
by ideology to these enemies of civilization."
Stating that India is a "mature nation and a stable
democracy," he said Pakistanis appreciate its democratic
contributions.
"But as rage fueled by the Mumbai attacks catches on,
Indians must pause and take a breath. India and Pakistan — and
the rest of the world — must work together to track down the
terrorists who caused mayhem in Mumbai, attacked New York,
London and Madrid in the past, and destroyed the Marriott
Hotel in Islamabad in September," he added.
Pointing out that Pakistan was an ally of the West
throughout the Cold War, he said, "the world worked to exploit
religion against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan by empowering
the most fanatic extremists as an instrument of destruction of
a superpower."
The strategy, he said, worked, but its legacy was the
creation of an extremist militia with its own dynamic. PTI DS
NIK
NNNN
Zardari said that all "non-state actors" found in his
country would be treated like "terrorists and murderers" and
said Pakistan was committed to "pursuit, arrest, trial and
punishment of anyone involved in these heinous attacks".
In an emotionally charged article in the New York Times,
Zardari said that Mumbai attacks were directed not only
against India but also against Pakistan's new democratic
government and the peace process "we have initiated with New
Delhi".
"Supporters of authoritarianism in Pakistan and non-state
actors with vested interest in perpetuating conflict do not
want change in Pakistan to take root," he wrote.
"Not only are the terrorists not linked to the government
of Pakistan in any way," the President said adding "we are
their targets and we continue to be their victims".
The best response to the Mumbai carnage is for India,
Pakistan and the US to coordinate in counteracting the scourge
of terrorism, Zardari wrote, asserting that he well understood
the pain of terror victims given that his wife, former
Pakistan Premier Benazir Bhutto was also assassinated in a
terror attack.
"Pakistan is committed to the pursuit, arrest, trial and
punishment of anyone involved in these heinous acts. But we
caution against hasty judgements and inflammatory statements,"
Zardari wrote.
Referring to Sunday's raids conducted on Lashker-e-Toiba
militants, including the arrest of suspected Mumbai attack
mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhwi, Zardari pledged that Pakistan
will take action against non-state actors found within its
territory, "treating them as criminals, terrorists and
murders".
To foil the designs of the terrorists, Zardari said the
"two great nations of Pakistan and India, born together from
the same revolution and mandate in 1947," must continue to
move forward with the peace process.
"Pakistan is shocked at the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
We can identify with India's pain. I feel this pain every time
I look into the eyes of my children," he said, recalling
referring to the assassination of Bhutto.
He said the terrorists who killed his wife are "connected
by ideology to these enemies of civilization."
Stating that India is a "mature nation and a stable
democracy," he said Pakistanis appreciate its democratic
contributions.
"But as rage fueled by the Mumbai attacks catches on,
Indians must pause and take a breath. India and Pakistan — and
the rest of the world — must work together to track down the
terrorists who caused mayhem in Mumbai, attacked New York,
London and Madrid in the past, and destroyed the Marriott
Hotel in Islamabad in September," he added.
Pointing out that Pakistan was an ally of the West
throughout the Cold War, he said, "the world worked to exploit
religion against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan by empowering
the most fanatic extremists as an instrument of destruction of
a superpower."
The strategy, he said, worked, but its legacy was the
creation of an extremist militia with its own dynamic. PTI DS
NIK
NNNN
