#pakistan must stop exporting terrorism to India, #Afghanistan or face disaster

Islamabad, July 8(ANI): Pakistan must abandon its distorted policies of harbouring terrorists and exporting jihad to Afghanistan and India, otherwise a disaster may soon overtake the country, an editorial in a Pakistani newspaper has warned.


Taking notice of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani's recent statement that counter-terrorism cooperation warrants a partnership approach that fully accommodates others' interests and respect for the clearly stipulated "red lines", the Daily Times editorial said: "When Mr Gilani talks about respecting "red lines", he should also keep in mind why these lines are being crossed by the United States."

The contradictory policy of Pakistan, which supports the Afghan Taliban while fighting against the local Taliban who have declared war on the Pakistani state, is at the heart of this renewed pressure by the US, the editorial noted.

"Exporting jihad to Afghanistan and India has now to stop. Deaths of countless innocent people across the borders at the hands of the terrorist networks operating from Pakistan have turned our country into a pariah state," it said.

"On top of that, some of our so-called 'assets' have turned against their mentors (read the military) and are now attacking the security forces as well as civilians. This is the result of our skewed policies," it added.

The editorial also pointed out that on looking closely at Gilani's speech, it seems that he is willingly submitting the country's foreign and security policies to the military.

Arguably, the army has dictated these terms to the incumbents but that a democratically elected government willingly chooses to toe the military's line shows the complicity of our politicians with the 'mother of all power centres' for the sake of clinging to office by hook or by crook, it added.

"What both the military and civilian leadership have so far ignored is the grim fact that a very grave crisis is looming over Pakistan. If we do not abandon our distorted policies of harbouring terrorists, a disaster may soon overtake us," the editorial warned.

"Are we ready to pay the price for our quixotic policies, is something that those in GHQ and the government must answer, it said, adding that the people of Pakistan are waiting for their reply.