November 01, 2006	Wednesday	Shawwal 8, 1427

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LAHORE, Oct 31: Exiled PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif says the agreement signed by the government with tribal chiefs of Waziristan is the “right way” to fight terrorism and extremism.

However, he said this was a “short-term” solution to a very serious problem, and to uproot the menace the rulers would have to address poverty, illiteracy and unemployment on a war footing.

“Poverty and illiteracy serve as breeding ground for extremism”, he said while talking to Dawn on Tuesday.

Shahbaz Sharif was of the opinion that instead of launching military operations and killing innocent people, the government should have signed the Waziristan-like agreement long ago.

He condemned as atrocious the Monday attack on Bajaur Agency as a result of which many children had also been killed.

“Unless the people are empowered socially and economically, the war on terrorism will not bring desired results”, said the former Punjab chief minister, who is praised even by his adversaries for his administrative capabilities.

“I am not aware of it”, said the PML-N president when asked if there was a move to unify his party with the ruling PML.

He said he would be in a position to offer any comment only after some proposal had been floated. For the time being, he said, there was none.

He made it clear that there was no room for cooperation with those who had stabbed the PML-N leadership in the back by joining hands with the military rulers. “However, we are ready to embrace others who maintained a low profile and did not work against the party”.

Asked why the opposition had not been able to launch a movement even after four years of consistent claims, Shahbaz Sharif said bringing people on the streets was not an easy task, especially when a general was in power.

He said people were fed up with the present rulers and their policies, but to channelize their resentment into a movement was the real challenge. He hoped that the situation would change as a result of the sacrifices being rendered by opposition parties.

Shahbaz Sharif said efforts to set up a broad-based alliance of opposition parties were in progress.

He said formation of such a coalition was imperative to ensure free and fair general election. He believed that time was approaching fast when all opposition parties would realize the need for such an alliance - and they would also join it.

Responding to a question about the opposition legislators’ resignations from the assemblies, he said the most suitable time for such a step was when JWP leader Akbar Bugti had been killed. He said the Women Protection Bill had deflected attention and now the opposition parties were waiting for the day when the use of “this weapon will pull down the present setup”.