Foreign intervention main cause of terrorism: Mamnoon

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain Sunday said that terrorism was not a local phenomenon rather it was caused by interference of the foreign powers.

Addressing the inaugural session of the First Speakers Conference hosted by the National Assembly of Pakis-tan and attended by the parliamentary heads from six regional countries here, the president said Pakistan had been dragged into the war-quagmire after the tragic  9/11 incident .

The conference was attended by Speaker National Assembly Sardar Aaz Sadiq, Chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani, Speaker of the Wolisi Jirga of Afghanistan Abdul Rauf Ibraheemi, Spe-aker of the Shoora-e-Islami of Iran Dr. Ali Larejani, Chai-rman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of Russia Volodin Vyacheslav Viktoro-vich, Speaker of Grand Turk-ish Assembly Ismail Kehrm-an and Vice Chairman of the National People’s Congress of China Zhang Ping,

Among the audience were also Minister of State for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb, President Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Pakistan Muslim League’s Mushahid Hussain Sayed, parliamentarians and delegates from different countries.

The president said that due to the circumstances following the 9/11, the law & order in Pakistan was adversely affected.

He said the terrorism had created immense problems in several countries of the region with Pakistan being the most affected during the last few years, more than 70,000 Pakistanis had lost their lives in acts of terrorism besides bearing a financial loss of more than 120 billion dollars.

He told the gathering that Pakistan had initiated comprehensive steps to cope with the situation and had done so under the National Action Plan in different parts of the country while an effective action has been taken in tribal areas under Operation Zrb-e-Azb operation.

“As a result of these steps of Government of Pakistan, the terrorists have received a severe blow. I am sure that, this issue will be addressed completely in the near future,” said the president in translated comments.

Welcoming the guests to the federal capital, the president hoped that the conference would prove extremely beneficial in combating the challenges being faced by the region as well as to utilize the opportunities for regional development and prosperity.

He viewed that during course of the conference, the interactions and consultations among the participating countries would bring them even closer understanding of each other, as well as a source of opening new vistas of possible cooperation. President said that the geography, common values of opinions and similar conditions provide Pakistan, Iran, China, Turkey, Russia and Afghanistan wider opportunities to work in unison for the development and prosperity of their people.

“Our geographical proximity has the potential of changing the course of history,” he remarked. He said the roads and railway lines of China Pakistan Economic Corridor were li-nking the region with the wh-ole world through Pakistan. This network of land routes will bring different regions of the world closer by reducing distances through one region one route.

He said like the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the optic highway will also simplify the communication links further, and the oil and gas pipelines passing through deserts, mountains and seas of these regions would create new world of industry and technology. The president said as a result of untiring efforts by Pakistan and China, the economic corridor connecting di-fferent continents was about to start functioning and wo-uld enable western China and particularly countries of Cen-tral Asia to access other parts of Asia and larger markets of Africa and European countries through the Arabian Sea.

“Pakistan is engaged in its best efforts to materialize this great dream because we think that the future of these regions lies hidden in active links, mutual trade and co-operation into which China Pakistan Economic Corridor will infuse new spirit.