‘No fresh military operation as no political consensus’
22 Oct 2012 5:43 AM IST
Acknowledging that Pakistan could not launch any fresh operation against militants as there is no national consensus on the issue, President Asif Ali Zardari called on Sunday for greater unity to confront militancy and blamed the opposition of pandering to ‘rightist vote’.
Zardari asserted the country would have to fight the war against militancy but warned that people would have to be ready for the ‘blow back’.
Noting that operations had been conducted in the past in places like the Swat Valley with ‘complete consensus’, he indicated there was currently no agreement with the opposition on a fresh offensive.
‘It is useless to ask the opposition today for consensus because you know and I know that they are banking on the rightist vote,’ he said, referring to the upcoming general election scheduled for next year.
‘Everywhere else, we had the consensus, today we do not,’ he added.
‘So one has to look at one’s own possibilities and the type of capability one has. And then to be able to take the blow back. Are you ready to take the blow back,’ Zardari asked while addressing the concluding session of a national conference of the South Asian Free Media Association.
‘We will have to fight this war, whether today or tomorrow. But we will fight with conviction, honour, time [and] consensus,’ he said.
Following the Taliban’s attempt to assassinate 14-year-old rights activist Malala Yousufzai, there was considerable speculation that the civilian government and the military could capitalise on public anger over the incident to launch a fresh campaign against militants in North Waziristan.
Zardari asserted the country would have to fight the war against militancy but warned that people would have to be ready for the ‘blow back’.
Noting that operations had been conducted in the past in places like the Swat Valley with ‘complete consensus’, he indicated there was currently no agreement with the opposition on a fresh offensive.
‘It is useless to ask the opposition today for consensus because you know and I know that they are banking on the rightist vote,’ he said, referring to the upcoming general election scheduled for next year.
‘Everywhere else, we had the consensus, today we do not,’ he added.
‘So one has to look at one’s own possibilities and the type of capability one has. And then to be able to take the blow back. Are you ready to take the blow back,’ Zardari asked while addressing the concluding session of a national conference of the South Asian Free Media Association.
‘We will have to fight this war, whether today or tomorrow. But we will fight with conviction, honour, time [and] consensus,’ he said.
Following the Taliban’s attempt to assassinate 14-year-old rights activist Malala Yousufzai, there was considerable speculation that the civilian government and the military could capitalise on public anger over the incident to launch a fresh campaign against militants in North Waziristan.
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