Pakistan PM briefed on militancy
PAKISTAN: Pakistani premier Yousaf Raza Gilani was briefed by
the country's army chief Wednesday as part of his new government's
efforts to find political solutions to Islamic militancy, a statement
said.
Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani met Gilani along with key coalition
partners and ministers in Islamabad, two days after the ministers were
sworn in and just over a week after the premier was elected by
parliament.
The new government is led by opponents of the embattled US ally
President Pervez Musharraf, including the party of slain opposition
leader Benazir Bhutto, which trounced Musharraf's allies in elections in
February.
An official statement said Kayani "presented all the efforts it (the
army) had undertaken to stabilise the situation" in Pakistan's troubled
tribal areas bordering Afghanistan and in the restive northwestern Swat
Valley.
Gilani and his coalition partners ordered the briefing "in order to
come up with political policy guidelines to address the menace of
terrorism and extremism, through a comprehensive strategy based on
political engagement, economic development and backed by a creditable
military element," it added.
Those present at the meeting included Bhutto's widower Asif Ali
Zardari, the de facto head of her Pakistan People's Party, and former
premier Nawaz Sharif, whose party is the second biggest in the
coalition.
Islamabad, Tuesday, AFP |