Tackling incursion

THE shots fired by the troops to ward off an incursion by two NATO helicopters was the right step to take and has been widely hailed in the country. It is high time some of our arrogant allies in the War on Terror are told in no uncertain terms that no self-respecting country would allow the violation of its territorial integrity. US Gen David Petraeus has said Pakistan faces an existential threat which requires that Washington and Islamabad work together to defeat the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. He needs to be reminded that Pakistan has to deal with the problems it faces in the way it considers to be most suited to its national interests, rather than through quick fixes suggested by the US. There is a national consensus that extremism can be eliminated only through a holistic strategy comprising dialogue, economic and social development of the tribal areas, and a recourse to limited and moderate force, and that too only when it cannot to be avoided. Pakistan's allies can help it secure the tribal areas in two ways. First, by providing it the high-tech weaponry needed to deal with militancy. Second, by helping in the uplift of the tribal areas through schemes like export-oriented industrial zones that have been debated only to be put on the backburner. Foreign interventions are unacceptable because they create widespread resentment all over the country besides providing a cause célèbre to the extremists. What is more, they are likely to destabilize the system if not repulsed.