News
Monday, October 29, 2007
No talks with extremists: Benazir* Former PM says inaction will encourage spread of Tribal Areas violence
Daily Times Monitor
LAHORE: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairwoman Benazir Bhutto said on Sunday that she would not talk to extremists who had shed the blood of innocent Muslims, Geo news reported.
Addressing a press conference in Larkana, Ms Bhutto said extremists should respect the law of the land and she was ready to talk to those who did not carry weapons.
She said the government had allowed the situation in Swat to deteriorate over the last five years. “Private armies are being formed in the wake of the government’s wrong policies,” Ms Bhutto said.
Violence may spread: The former prime minister said the violence in the tribal areas and Swat would spread unless decisive action was taken. “It’s moving into settled areas like Swat where several members of our paramilitary forces have lost their lives and I feel very sad that in the last years we were not able to address this problem,” AP quoted her as saying.
Ms Bhutto said there were no plans as yet to meet with President General Pervez Musharraf. “I see the election of 2007 as a political turning point in the history of Pakistan. It is essential that power is transferred from dictatorship in a smooth manner,” she added.
Earlier, Ms Bhutto, guarded by heavy security, visited the family of a supporter slain in a bid to assassinate her in Karachi on October 18, Reuters reported. She condoled with the family of Nizamuddin Sammo and promised them financial assistance from the PPP.
Courtesy DailyTimes.com.pk