PM says no timeframe on judges

KARACHI - Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said that a handful of foreign-funded militants, supported by drug mafia, have penetrated the ranks of patriotic tribal people and are destabilising the country by damaging economy.

He said the tribal people in the Northern Areas were patriotic and sincere citizens of Pakistan. These people, he said, had played a role in the Pakistan Movement and worked hard for strengthening the country. However, due to the machinations of a handful of mischief mongers, the tribal people were being unnecessary blamed for whatever was happening in their areas, he added.

Talking to newsmen at the Karachi Airport soon after his arrival from Islamabad on Friday, the Prime Minister said the top priority of his government was to protect the lives and property of the people. “This is the primary duty of a state”, he remarked. He declared that there would be no compromise on the dignity, sovereignty and prestige of the country. He said that the problem of law and order pertained to extremism and terrorism and that this menace was especially gaining momentum in the NWFP, FATA and in the bordering areas.

“We are using resources to meet this challenge and have also deployed our defence forces to defeat the nefarious designs of a handful of trouble makers,” he remarked.