Pakistan taking action to eliminate IEDs: Malik

Interior minister holds meeting with Marc Grossman in Washington DC.

WASHINGTION: Interior Minister Rehman Malik arrived in Washington DC on Friday, on a three-day visit, scheduled from October 4 to October 6, on an invitation from the US government.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with Malik, US Special Envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan Ambassador Marc Grossman said that the US Embassy in Islamabad was keeping in touch with US citizens participating in the PTI ‘peace march’ to South Waziristan, and had informed them about the travel advisory issued by the US Government on travelling to the volatile region.

Ambassador Grossman said, “They (US citizens) are in no doubt on where we stand on this issue,” adding that the US Embassy’s Charge d’ Affaires Ambassador Richard Hoagland had reached out to the US activists.

Grossman said he and Malik also discussed the designation of the Haqqani Network as a terrorist network, the issue of improvised explosive devices (IED), counter-terrorism and the current situation in the region. “Americans recognise who the victims of terrorism are, Americans are victims of terrorism, but so many Pakistanis have lost their lives and given their lives in fighting terrorism,” he added.

Malik said Pakistan was taking action to eliminate IEDs, adding that not only has the government regulated the flow of fertilizer used in the devices, but was also restricting its movement in certain areas. “IEDs are readily available devices.” He claimed that Pakistan’s national counter-terrorism strategy on IEDs was working well to eliminate the threat of the devices.

Malik claimed that Pakistan was taking all legal and administrative measures, and that they were prepared to take additional measures as well to eliminate the scourge.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2012.