Swat operation to continue until normalcy returns: Zardari

WASHINGTON - With Pakistani troops batling extremists in Swat, President Asif Ali Zardari said
Thursday that military operations would last until "normalcy" returns to the troubled Valley.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with members of US Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the
Capitol Hill, he said he was confident that a democratic Pakistan would be able to turn the tide of
Talibanization.
At the meeting, which included members of Senate from other powerful committees as well, President
Zardari underlined the importance
of international support for Pakistan's effort toward economic
development of the people as well as success in its anti-terrorism drive.
Senator John Kerry, who received President Asif Ali Zardari, said he wants quick passage of U.S.
assistance legislation to support Pakistans economic development and curb militancy in its
northwestern areas.
He said that the United States has raised the issue with New Delhi of Indian troops pullback from its
border with Pakistan, a move Washington considers important to allowing Islamabad to focus more
effectively in anti-terrorism fight on its Afghan border.
President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan also attended the meeting.