Pakistan is absolutely determined to wipe out the Taliban militants from Malakand and the recent wave of terrorist bombings shows that insurgents are feeling the pressure of the country’s ongoing military offensive, Islamabad’s envoy in Washington said.
Pakistan is not confronted with a desperate situation as a result of militant retaliation, Ambassador Husain Haqqani stated.
“It’s not a desperate situation. It actually affirms the fact that the Pakistani government has made a decision with the support of the Pakistani people to take all extremists and terrorists on and the extremists are feeling the pressure, which is why they are hitting the government and its personnel in cities,” he told BBC America.
The envoy said the bombings are a cause of concern but added “that is the kind of retaliatory mechanisms that terrorists adopt everywhere in the world” as happened in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“When they (terrorists) come under pressure in their strongholds, they try and attack in other places. That is why there has to be a comprehensive strategy to fight terrorists.”
That is why, he continued, the United States, Pakistan, Afghanistan and NATO, are all working together to try to develop a long-term comprehensive strategy.
“The main function of this comprehensive strategy should be to deprive the terrorists of new recruits.” In answer to a question, he said, “the fact that the intelligence services are being targeted by the terrorists is confirmation that the terrorists consider the Pakistani security service their primary target.
Haqqani reminded the world that the Pakistani army has sacrificed a lot in the fight against terrorism and their continuing sacrifices underline their vital role in this anti-terror fight.
The envoy said some people in Pakistan felt in the past an affinity for some extremist groups based on their causes and there was some kind of confusion in the society.“The American military presence in Afghanistan has been a lightning rod for various groups within Pakistan.”
The confusion in Washington or elsewhere relates to an interpretation of Pakistan’s past history, he remarked. “The Pakistani nation realizes that terrorism is an existential threat to Pakistan and they support their military, they support their intelligence services in fighting this menace.”
He said Pakistan will prove with its actions that it is the world’s frontline state in the fight against terrorism.
(Via APP & BBC)
