KUALA LUMPUR, April 21: Using local tribesmen to search for Al Qaeda and Taliban militants along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan will build trust and help long-term development in tribal areas , said Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri here on Wednesday.

"We want to make it clear to the people of tribal areas that the Pakistan Army is not rushing in," Mr Kasuri told Reuters in an interview. "The army is there, it's on guard, but we want to involve the local people also," he said, adding that force was always an option.

"If these people cannot be tackled by the tribal people, then the army will do what is necessary," he said, without being specific. Mr Kasuri said that involving local tribesmen was a positive step to help the area's stability, and ultimately, its economy.