LONDON: Former president and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said here on Monday that defeating the ideology of terrorists was necessary to win the battle against militancy, DawnNews reported.

Mr Zardari, who was addressing a press conference, said the international community woke up too late to combat the menace of militancy.

The PPP leader said he had highlighted several times at international forums that the world was losing the war against terrorism.

“Terrorism cannot be defeated by simply fighting militants…the mindset has to be defeated as well,” he said.

“Our party, the Pakistan People’s Party, has sacrificed the most in the fight against terrorism,” he said.

Speaking about the political situation in Pakistan, he expressed the hope that the current government would complete its five-year tenure.

“We fought against dictatorship for ten years and for the restoration of democracy.

“For the first time in Pakistan’s history a democratic government completed its term,” he said.

Mr Zardari said he wanted to complete the mission of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2014