Zardari admits to Pak hand in terrorism

'Todays militants were heroes of yesteryear until 9/11 happened'

In the most candid admission so far by any Pakistani leader of repute, Zardari said terrorists began to haunt the country in the post-September 11, 2001, era. Zardari’s remarks, bordering on the blasphemous, but bold in its articulation, comes at a time when Islamabad is fighting the Taliban holed up in the country’s northwestern provinces and the territory bordering Afghanistan.

The US Army is collaborating with the Pakistani military establishment in battling the Taliban in Afghanistan.

His admission was made at an interactive meeting with former civil servants at the presidency on Tuesday night.

Militants and extremists emerged on the national scene and challenged the state not because the civil bureaucracy was weakened and demoralised, but because they “were deliberately created and nurtured as a policy to achieve some short-term tactical objectives,” he said.

“Let us be truthful to ourselves and make a candid admission of the realities,”the Pakistani president said. “The terrorists of today were the heroes of yesteryear until September 11, 2001, occurred and they began to haunt us as well,” he added.

Frontline state

Labelling Pakistan as a frontline state in the war against terrorism, Zardari pledged to eliminate the scourge from society.

“I have taken charge at a difficult time and will come up to the challenges the country is facing.”

 His remarks came days after his comments in an interview that the Pakistan Army would even target militants it had backed in the past as a proxy actor against India. The army is currently engaged in a campaign against the Taliban in the northwestern Swat valley and is gearing up for a push against Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Baitullah Mehsud and his network in the South Waziristan tribal region.

National reconciliation

Zardari also stressed the need for greater national reconciliation, saying he intended to keep all political forces together because Pakistan cannot afford confrontation at this juncture. “Dialogue is our most powerful weapon... we defeated a dictator (General Pervez Musharraf) through the power of dialogue and we intend to continue holding dialogue to resolve various issues confronting Pakistan,” he said.

“We are on the brink and we must realise that personal political games can no longer be played,” he added.

Responding to various suggestions by former civil servants, Zardari said the government was taking several steps to improve governance, tackle militancy and extremism, improve law and order, agricultural output and power generation, strengthen institutions and devolve power.