Islamabad: Pakistan’s targeted military action against militants in Waziristan will be beneficial in the long run as the Taliban are not serious about peace talks, Advisor to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz said today.
His remarks came amid speculation that the government is on the verge of launching a major military offensive in North Waziristan tribal region following the apparent failure of peace talks with the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.
Aziz said terrorist hideouts were precisely targeted in North Waziristan. Talking to reporters here, he said the dialogue had not yielded positive results so far.
The targeted action in Waziristan would be beneficial in the long run, Aziz was quoted as saying by Dawn News. The TTP were not serious about peace talks, he added.
The government recently suspended its peace process with the TTP after a militant faction in the tribal belt executed 23 troops abducted in 2010.
Aziz said the new National Security Policy presented in parliament yesterday is related to the country’s internal security and its objective is to establish rule of law. The operational part of the National Security Policy is of “immense importance”, he said.
In the next two weeks‚ the government will also present its defence and international policies, Aziz said.
Aziz had previously acknowledged that dialogue with the Taliban had been derailed and that the state’s writ would be established in the troubled regions.
In response to a question regarding a policy shift in Syria, he any reports about the sale of weapons by Pakistan to Saudi Arabia for use in the war-torn country were baseless and misleading.
Speculation about a shift from Pakistan’s traditional policy of non-interference in Muslim countries emanated from a joint declaration issued last week at the end of a visit to Islamabad by Saudi Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud.
The declaration had called for the “formation of a transitional governing body” in Syria and media reports stated that Saudi Arabia was in talks with Pakistan to procure anti-aircraft and anti-tank rockets for the rebels.
Aziz dispelled the impression of a change in Pakistan’s policy on Syria and said speculation in the media to that effect had no foundation.
(To receive our E-paper on whatsapp daily, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
