PM sees early end to SWA operation

MULTAN (Online) Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has made it clear that the ongoing operation Rah-e-Nijat against extremists in South Waziristan will end before stipulated time, adding that no military operation is being carried out in Balochistan.
Talking to the media at Multan Airport on Sunday, he went on to say that no timeframe could be given for the completion of military ongoing offensive in South Waziristan, expressing the hope that the operation will soon end in the region. There was no threat to the countrys nuclear programme and it was completely safe and secure, Gilani said. Pakistan, the Prime Minister said, will not compromise on its nuclear programme and the countrys nuclear assets are safe under the Nuclear Command and Control Authority.
Answering a question, the Prime Minister said during his meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, he asked her that US should take Islamabad into confidence, if Washingtons policy on Kabul changes and she reassured that Pakistan will be taken on board if US revises its policy on Afghanistan.
The country has the will to fight the war against terrorism but the international communitys help would be vital in enhancing the countrys ability to win the war, he said. He said Pakistan only lacked state-of-the-art equipment to fight terror and the international community had been asked to help the country in building its anti-terror capacity. The governments timely decisions have resulted in successful operations in Swat and South Waziristan, he said.
To a question about evidence regarding the reported Indian involvement in Balochistan, he said the issue had been taken up during his meeting with Indian Prime Minister at Sharm El-Sheikh and was made part of the joint statement issued thereafter. The evidence will be presented at a suitable time, the Prime Minister added.
Pakistan always seeks good relations with all its neighbours and wants resumption of composite dialogue process with India, he said. Dialogue is the only way forward, he said. When asked about US drone strikes in countrys tribal areas, he said such strikes were counterproductive.
On one hand, we are trying to separate militants from tribesmen while on the other, drone attacks are doing exactly the otherwise, he said. The US should transfer the drone technology to Pakistan, he added. To a question regarding financial losses suffered by the country in the war on terror, the Prime Minister said the international community including the US had promised to help the country in this regard.