April 03, 2008	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 25, 1429

ISLAMABAD, April 2: Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani gave a detailed briefing on security situation to Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and heads of the four parties in the ruling coalition on Wednesday.

According to sources, the coalition leadership had sought the briefing on security with reference to the war on terror, deployment of troops along the country’s western borders and the outcome of their efforts to flush out foreign and local people involved in disturbing the law and order situation in tribal and settled areas.

The sources said the need for the briefing arose because the leadership had come under pressure from the United States, which sent several State Department officials and lawmakers to persuade the leaders of the ruling parties to continue the war on terror waged by President Pervez Musharraf after the 9/11 attacks.

Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar told Dawn: “Today’s briefing was part of the coalition’s policy to take the strategy of combating terrorism to parliament.”

He said the information given by the army leadership was ‘very useful’ and he was confident that the government would soon be able to achieve peace.

The sources said the army chief briefed the leaders on progress in military operations and development works carried out since its deployment in tribal areas. A source said the political leaders asked the army chief about the possibility of scaling down troop deployment and their complete withdrawal if congenial conditions were created through dialogue.

Prime Minister Gilani, Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Zardari, Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharif, Asfandyar Wali of the Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar, Interior Affairs Adviser Rahman Malik, PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Mehmood Ali Durrani and Frontier Regions Minister Najmuddin Khan attended the briefing at the Prime Minister’s House. The director-general of military operations was also present.

According to a handout, the army team presented a report on efforts it had undertaken to stabilise the situation in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and its operations to restore normality in Swat.

In consultation with coalition partners, the prime minister decided to undertake a detailed evaluation of the situation and come up with political policy guidelines to address the problem of terrorism and extremism through a comprehensive strategy based on political engagement and economic development and backed by a creditable military element.

The coalition partners are expected to move the issue in parliament for a debate on the contours of the country’s future policy on the war on terror.

It may be mentioned that there appears a difference of opinion in the coalition on the war on terror with the PPP leadership, including the prime minister, describing it as Pakistan’s own war and the PML-N, ANP and JUI-F stressing the need for its review.