raju
Senator (1k+ posts)
Dialogue, ending war on terror is the solution
* Participants of Beyond Military Operation say military option no solution to current crises
By Tahir Niaz
ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a seminar on Sunday unanimously agreed that a military operation was not the solution to the countrys problems.
They said dialogue, an independent foreign policy, Pakistan quitting the war on terror and United States exit from the region would pave the way for a stable Pakistan and peace in the region. Speaking at a seminar organised by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) entitled Beyond the Military Operation, former NWFP governor Lt General (r) Ali Orakzai said the US had repeatedly sabotaged agreements between the Taliban and the government, citing the killing of tribal rebel Nek Muhammad and a predator attack at a religious seminary that killed 82 students in Waziristan Agency.
Operation: A military operation is not the solution to the issue... what have our friends (the US) achieved in eight years in Afghanistan, he questioned. Orakzai feared that operations in other parts of the country would bring more casualities, bloodshed and a further displacement of people. He urged the US and its allies to mull an honourable exit from Afghanistan, adding that the region was heading towards disaster.
Former ambassador Ayyaz Wazir stressed the need to win hearts and minds through development, as military operation would do them no good. He said it was unfortunate that the countrys army had to fight its own people, while strongly opposing a proposed operation in Waziristan Agency. Rustam Shah Mohmand, former FATA secretary, said the nation was facing post-9/11 hazards.
Justification: Former interior secretary Roedad Khan termed the war on terror difficult to justify. He said the war was not the countrys own war and alleging it had been imposed on the nation by corrupt rulers who could not say no to Washington.
He said the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan would get better the day the US leaves Afghanistan. Nisar Ali Khan of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz called for an immediate end to the military operation and underlined the need for starting dialogue to resolve the issue. Some kind of contact should be established with these (Taliban) people to find out a solution of the problem, he said. Jammat-e-Islami former chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad said he did not agree with the Taliban but did not second the armys policy as well.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan said high-level Pakistani delegations should be sent to the US to convince US think tanks that the war on terror would yield nothing except hatred for Washington. He criticised President Asif Ali Zardari for following US policies instead of an maintaining an independent stance.
* Participants of Beyond Military Operation say military option no solution to current crises
By Tahir Niaz
ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a seminar on Sunday unanimously agreed that a military operation was not the solution to the countrys problems.
They said dialogue, an independent foreign policy, Pakistan quitting the war on terror and United States exit from the region would pave the way for a stable Pakistan and peace in the region. Speaking at a seminar organised by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) entitled Beyond the Military Operation, former NWFP governor Lt General (r) Ali Orakzai said the US had repeatedly sabotaged agreements between the Taliban and the government, citing the killing of tribal rebel Nek Muhammad and a predator attack at a religious seminary that killed 82 students in Waziristan Agency.
Operation: A military operation is not the solution to the issue... what have our friends (the US) achieved in eight years in Afghanistan, he questioned. Orakzai feared that operations in other parts of the country would bring more casualities, bloodshed and a further displacement of people. He urged the US and its allies to mull an honourable exit from Afghanistan, adding that the region was heading towards disaster.
Former ambassador Ayyaz Wazir stressed the need to win hearts and minds through development, as military operation would do them no good. He said it was unfortunate that the countrys army had to fight its own people, while strongly opposing a proposed operation in Waziristan Agency. Rustam Shah Mohmand, former FATA secretary, said the nation was facing post-9/11 hazards.
Justification: Former interior secretary Roedad Khan termed the war on terror difficult to justify. He said the war was not the countrys own war and alleging it had been imposed on the nation by corrupt rulers who could not say no to Washington.
He said the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan would get better the day the US leaves Afghanistan. Nisar Ali Khan of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz called for an immediate end to the military operation and underlined the need for starting dialogue to resolve the issue. Some kind of contact should be established with these (Taliban) people to find out a solution of the problem, he said. Jammat-e-Islami former chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad said he did not agree with the Taliban but did not second the armys policy as well.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan said high-level Pakistani delegations should be sent to the US to convince US think tanks that the war on terror would yield nothing except hatred for Washington. He criticised President Asif Ali Zardari for following US policies instead of an maintaining an independent stance.
