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Sharif opposes fresh anti-militant fronts
 [Iran Press TV Latest] Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has opposed a planned fresh military offensive against militant strongholds in North Waziristan. But then, we know which side he's on... Addressing his party members on Friday, the leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) insisted that opening any new fronts against the Taliban-linked terrorists requires political consultation. "Government should take all sections of society including political forces, religious scholars and media on board prior to opening new fronts," Press TV's correspondent in Pakistan quoted Sharif as saying. They don't want to go attacking Talibs that haven't yet gone rogue... The two-time premier said that the government first needed to diagnose the roots of terrorism and extremism in the country before thinking of a solution. Ask any muezzin... "Extremism can't be eradicated until people are given peace of mind that can be achieved only by resolving their burning issues," he said. On the other hand, killing guys with turbans is a good start... "Government needs to address the root causes of major problems and crisis confronting the people and forcing them to adopt extremist methods." ... but every time somebody sez "secular state" everybody in sight comes down with the vapors... The remarks comes two days after Islamabad announced a decision to launch a military operation against notorious warlord Baitullah Mehsud in the country's troubled northwest Wazirstan region. Mehsud's Tehrik-e-Taliban has been behind dozens of terror attacks and bombings against civilians and security forces across Pakistan, claiming scores of lives. The army is already engaged in fighting against militants in violence-stricken Swat valley, also in the northwest, and claims to have killed more than 1,500 pro-Taliban fighters since it launched its operations on April 26. But there are several other groups of "Taliban" who haven't gone rogue yet, so now they have to pick their targets carefully... Posted by: Fred 2009-06-20 |
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