“Invading the FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) is not an option,” Shah Mahmoud Qureshi said in a question and answer session after a speech to the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank in central London. “It will not solve any issue. First of all, we are a sovereign country and ... we feel that we have capable troops in Pakistan that can look after peace and security within our territory.”
24 July 2008: Arab News
By Azhar Masood
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani told his Indian counterpart yesterday both countries should cooperate more deeply to combat “terrorism and extremism” in the region. Having gone to the brink of a fourth war in 2002, the nuclear-armed South Asian rivals embarked on a peace process four years ago but relations were strained by a suicide attack outside the Indian Embassy in Kabul this month.
Afghan and Indian officials have accused a Pakistani intelligence agency of involvement in the attack that killed 58 people, including two senior Indian diplomats.
Gilani called Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to congratulate him on winning a vote of confidence on Tuesday and said Pakistan attached “immense importance” to its relations with India. “The present state of unrest in the region demands more cooperation in the field of combating terrorism and extremism as both the countries are victims of this menace,” a statement from the prime minister’s office quoted Gilani as saying.
Gilani said he was looking forward to meeting Singh on the sidelines of a South Asian summit in Colombo early next month. The statement quoted Singh as assuring Gilani of his full support and cooperation for an amicable settlement of all outstanding issues between Pakistan and India.
Meanwhile, Pakistan foreign minister said that Pakistan will not allow foreign troops into its tribal areas to root out extremists threatening coalition forces in neighboring Afghanistan.
“Invading the FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) is not an option,” Shah Mahmoud Qureshi said in a question and answer session after a speech to the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank in central London. “It will not solve any issue. First of all, we are a sovereign country and ... we feel that we have capable troops in Pakistan that can look after peace and security within our territory.”
