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Zardari Faces Truth, Says Pak Created Militants

In first ever confessment from any Pakistani leader, President Asif Ali Zardari has admitted that militants and extremists were “created and nurtured” under a strategy to attain some short term tactical aims.

In an interactive meeting with former civil servants at the presidency, Zardari candidly admitted the historical fact said that terrorists began to haunt Pakistan in the post 9/11 era.

“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,” Zardari said.

“The terrorists of today were the heroes of yesteryears until 9/11 occurred and they began to haunt us as well,” he added.

Terming Pakistan as a vanguard state in war on terror, Zardari pledged to exterminate this menace from society.

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

It should be noted that Zardari’s statement came days after he commented in an interview that the Pakistani Army even would not spare militants it supported in the past to use them as a proxy against India.

It may be mentioned that 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 South Waziristan tribal region.

Emphasizing greater need for reconciliation, the Pakistani President said that he wanted to keep all political powers together because country cannot afford a confrontation at this juncture.

“Dialogue is our most powerful weapon…we defeated a dictator 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.

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

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