New anti-terrorist force to be raised

[Naveed Yaseen]

Zardari calls for Madrassa reforms; scanners to be installed in major cities

By Asim Yasin

ISLAMABAD: A high-level meeting on national security okayed on Monday the establishment of a new special anti-terrorist force (SATF) in all the four provinces and the federal capital.

The meeting, jointly presided over by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani at the Presidency, reviewed the law and order situation in the country. It was attended by the ministers for information and interior, all the four provincial chief ministers, the NWFP governor, the Army chief, the chiefs of intelligence agencies, the prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the chief executive of the Northern Areas, chief secretaries and IGPs of all the provinces and senior officials of the relevant federal ministries.

Speaking on the occasion, President Asif Zardari said the war against militancy is a "total war" and each and every section of the society must rise to the occasion to "defeat the mindset that creates and nurtures militancy".

The president said an exit strategy with clear objectives should also be devised to enable the civil administration take over the administrative control of the areas where the writ of the government has been re-established after driving out militants.

Prior to the meeting, all the four chief ministers, along with the prime minister, held separate meetings with the president to discuss the issues of their respective provinces. According to sources, it was decided to install scanners and detectors on entry routes of major cities.

The sources said Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani also updated the meeting about the operation 'Rah-e-Rast'. He informed the meeting that around 1,300 terrorists had been killed in the operation.

The sources said it was decided to constitute a new special anti-terrorist force in all the four provinces and the federal capital. The force would be trained to deal with acts of terrorism and provided with latest weapons.

In the special anti-terrorist force, the sources said, 25,000 personnel would be recruited in each province and the federal capital. Each personnel would draw a monthly salary equal to $300.

The meeting, the sources said, also approved suggestions of the provinces to the improve law and order situation. It was also decided that provincial governments would be provided special funds for maintaining law and order.

Meanwhile, talking to the media about the meeting, presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the president had expressed satisfaction over the success achieved in the war against terror and said the day was not far off when militants would be crippled and they would no longer be able to pose any threat to the people and the country.

Zardari said half of the war was to subdue and defeat militants militarily and half of the war was to win the hearts and minds of the internally displaced persons.

The president said the international community was more than willing to help Pakistan as was demonstrated in the recent meetings of the ëFriends of Democratic Pakistaní and leaders and lawmakers of the US, Britain and France during his recent visit to these countries.

He said the people of Pakistan also supported the operation as demonstrated by the unanimous resolution adopted by parliament against the militancy and the recently held all parties conference. President Zardari observed that the combination of favourable domestic public opinion and the willingness of the international community to help had placed in the hands of the government a great opportunity to eliminate the militant mindset once for all.

Zardari said the nation could not afford to lose this war for the sake of its own survival. He said while the government was determined to pursue the anti-terror fight it was also working on a plan to strengthen the capacity of the law-enforcement agencies to win this war.

He advised the government to step up its efforts for strengthening the law-enforcement agencies. "The will to fight must be strengthened with the capacity to fight," the president said.He also underlined the need for strengthening the prosecution so as to bring the militants and criminals to speedy and efficient justice within the bounds of the existing legal framework.

Zardari said the present fight against the militants was also for the fight of ideas. "To win this battle of ideas, we need to carry out necessary reforms in the education system, particularly in the Madrassa education, so as to produce tolerant, moderate and progressive youths," he added.

The president also praised the armed forces and the law-enforcement agencies for the courageous fight they had put up against the militants and for the sacrifices they had made for this cause. He also praised the prime minister and the government for taking the militants head on.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=22482