ISLAMABAD, Feb 1: The government will adopt a new strategy to avoid collateral damage in Swat, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Sunday.
Addressing a press conference, Mr Gilani said: “The dialogue did not work in
Swat. Therefore, the government has to change its strategy from dialogue to military action.
“We are looking at various options. We have … the capacity and the will, but we want (to adopt) a strategy in which there is no collateral damage.”
He said his government was aware that local people were suffering because of the conflict.
“We are careful about people’s lives and property and also mindful of people abandoning their homes,” he said.
Mr Gilani emphasised that the unrest in Swat could not be tackled only by the armed forces, and political action and dialogue were also needed.
“We are finding a way out. We do not want to disclose the strategy right now, but soon Swat will be peaceful, like rest of the country,” said Mr Gilani, adding that he would soon visit the region.
Answering a question, he said that Swat “is a settled area and not Fata where the government had earlier adopted the policy of dialogue and agreements.”
He said that the government had changed its strategy when ANP chief Asfandyar Wali conceded in the National Assembly that “the policy of agreements” had not worked and decided to go for a military option.
The prime minister said the presence of foreign militants in the area could not be ruled out.
He was confident that the valley would soon be as peaceful as it was in the past.
About the resignation of Minister for Narcotics Control Khwaja Mohammad Khan Hoti, the prime minister said he had talked to Mr Hoti on phone. He said he would not like to comment further on the subject because it was ANP’s internal matter.
COOPERATION PLEA: Director-General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Maj-Gen Athar Abbas has said that local people’s cooperation is critical to eliminate terrorist from the Swat valley.
Speaking in a PTV programme telecast on Sunday, the DG said the people of Swat “must extend all possible cooperation to security forces for eliminating militancy from their areas”.
He said a pro-active strategy had been chalked out to seek the support of local people. Security would be provided to people.
Gen-Abbas said this would increase their confidence – prompting them to cooperate with the security forces – imperative for complete elimination of militancy from there.He expressed the hope that local notables would standby security forces to rebuild the confidence of the masses.
The DG ISPR said MNAs and MPAs had returned to Swat from Peshawar and started interaction with the local people.—Agencies
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