President not to sign accord till peace established: Kaira

ISLAMABAD Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamaruz Zaman Kaira Thursday said that President Asif Ali Zardari would not sign the Swat peace accord till the establishment of complete peace and tranquillity in region.
He said this while talking to media outside the Parliament House. The peace pact has been signed between the NWFP government and TNSM. Therefore, President Asif Ali Zardari will sign the Swat peace accord after prevalence of complete peace and serenity in Swat region. The minister also said that the federal government had contacted NWFP government over the situation in Swat after the statement of Maulana Sufi Muhammad as both had signed the agreement for peace in Swat.
The federal government would comment over the issue after the provincial government informs us over the status of the peace deal. President Asif Ali Zardari had linked his signatures on the accord deal with peace in Swat. We had accepted the demands made by Maulana Sufi Muhammad and the Taliban would also have to lay down arms, he added.
Qamaruz Zaman Kaira said that presence of foreigners in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) could not be ruled out adding further that Afghan government had no control on large area of its territory.
He said that the government strongly condemned the incident in Quetta and it wanted to heal the wounds of Baloch people. The minister said Chief Minister Balochistan was making efforts to control the situation. Regretting the recent incidents in Balochistan, the minister said the Chief Minister of Balochistan had already ordered an inquiry into the killing of the Baloch leaders. The culprits would be brought to justice once the IG submits its probe report, he added.
He said that the PPP-led government had made several efforts to redress the grievances of the people of Balochistan. Even President Asif Zardari had apologised to the people of Balochistan for the excesses made in past. He also convened several jirgas and also gave amnesty to the Baloch people, he added.
On Kashmir issue, he said that durable solution of the issue of Kashmir was inevitable for the brotherly relations between Pakistan and India. Kaira also stressed upon the need for strengthening of relations among India, Iran, China and Pakistan.
In response to a question about the recent visit of US envoys to India, the minister said that the US envoy Richard Holbrooke had asked India to play its role in war on terror in Afghanistan. He said the US representatives also called for resolution of relations between India and Pakistan.
Yes, Pakistan has its own stance over the issues. Pakistan also wants the leading regional countries including China, India and Iran to wage collaborated efforts to resolve the situation in Afghanistan, the minister said.
About the recommendations made by the National Security Committee (NSC) for peace in tribal areas and NWFP, the minister said that the committee had held around 16 sessions of consultations with all the stakeholders to formalise a consensus over the issue. He said due to the sensitivity of the issue, it was necessary to take onboard all the stakeholders for adoption of a workable solution. He said the committee comprised the representative from all the political parties and its recommendations reflected the stance of the entire parliament.
To a query about drone attacks inside Pakistan, the minister said that Pakistans government had condemned the drone attacks time and again. He said the country was following its own policy to protect its own interests.