No consensus, no war against militants: Zardari
Swat, South Waziristan operation took place only because there was national agreement, says President.
ISLAMABAD:
We will have to fight the war against militants today or tomorrow, but we will do so with national consensus, said President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday.
Addressing the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) conference in Islamabad, Zardari talked about the challenges his government faces with regards to military operation and other national issues.
“It’s easy to be emotional, it is easy to take a country to war, but you don’t ride a tiger until you are sure when to get off,” he said.
Emphasising the need of consensus to address problems, Zardari said that his government had guided the nation towards Swat and South Waziristan operations only because there was national agreement.
“But today, we don’t have consensus,” he said.
“We agree we need to take on this mission, but are we ready to accept a possible blowback?” the president further questioned.
Polarised Pakistan
Speaking about the country’s polarisation, Zardari reminded the audience of the time when Punjab Governor Salman Taseer was killed and how many sided with his family.
“Taseer’s son was kidnapped, how many people tried to help his family? The answer is very few,” he added.
He further stated the there was not even a “single lawyer” willing to fight for Taseer.
Reconciliation
The president reiterated his stance on reconciliation and said that “if we don’t reconcile amongst ourselves, we cannot reconcile with other countries.”
“We need to accommodate other nations,” he stressed.
Stating that his tenure is not a perfect one, Zardari said that this is true for all the governments across the world. He emphasised that the problems faced by Pakistan are different than those faced by other countries.
“Your expectations are internet expectations; my working circumstances are tribal, feudal and political,” he told the audience.
We will have to fight the war against militants today or tomorrow, but we will do so with national consensus, said President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday.
Addressing the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) conference in Islamabad, Zardari talked about the challenges his government faces with regards to military operation and other national issues.
“It’s easy to be emotional, it is easy to take a country to war, but you don’t ride a tiger until you are sure when to get off,” he said.
Emphasising the need of consensus to address problems, Zardari said that his government had guided the nation towards Swat and South Waziristan operations only because there was national agreement.
“But today, we don’t have consensus,” he said.
“We agree we need to take on this mission, but are we ready to accept a possible blowback?” the president further questioned.
Polarised Pakistan
Speaking about the country’s polarisation, Zardari reminded the audience of the time when Punjab Governor Salman Taseer was killed and how many sided with his family.
“Taseer’s son was kidnapped, how many people tried to help his family? The answer is very few,” he added.
He further stated the there was not even a “single lawyer” willing to fight for Taseer.
Reconciliation
The president reiterated his stance on reconciliation and said that “if we don’t reconcile amongst ourselves, we cannot reconcile with other countries.”
“We need to accommodate other nations,” he stressed.
Stating that his tenure is not a perfect one, Zardari said that this is true for all the governments across the world. He emphasised that the problems faced by Pakistan are different than those faced by other countries.
“Your expectations are internet expectations; my working circumstances are tribal, feudal and political,” he told the audience.