Islamabad, July 05: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has voiced Pakistani concern that the latest offensive by US forces in Helmand, south of Afghanistan, will destabilise the situation in Balochistan.
“We fear a spill-over effect on Balochistan of surge in the number of US troops and their latest massive offensive in Helmand that is likely to push Taleban to cross over to Pakistan,” the prime minister told reporters here.
He said he has conveyed his reservations to US officials and they had assured him that no extremist would be allowed to cross into Pakistan.
Earlier talking to US Secretary for Homeland Security Janet Napolitano who called on him, Gilani sought the support of the United States to work out a permanent solution for uncontrolled, illegal crossings, particularly of militants and terrorists, and drug trafficking across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Referring to Janet’s initiative, as governor of Arizona in erecting a wall on the US and Mexican border, the prime minister said a similar pattern of fencing between Pakistan and Afghanistan could be done to stop infiltration and drug trafficking.
He also called for immediate provision of military hardware, including Cobra helicopters, technology transfer as well as financial assistance to build the capacity of Pakistan’s law-enforcement agencies and their personnel to prepare them for controlling the affected areas after the military operation comes to a successful conclusion in the Malakand Division and Waziristan agencies.
He asked the US official to facilitate PIA’s direct flight operations to the US destinations. Janet said the issue of PIA’s direct flights to the US would be resolved after due consideration in the near future. She also promised that the US would expedite disbursement of the pledged amount for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the financial assistance committed in Tokyo to meet Pakistan’s immediate needs.
Answering newsmen’s questions, Gilani ruled out creation of new provinces by dividing Punjab and said it would open a Pandora’s box and the country could not afford this at a time when it was facing external and internal threats.
About his prospective meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the upcoming Non-Aligned Movement summit in Egypt, the prime minister said he hoped that it would yield positive results.
He declined to comment on reports Interior Minister Rehman Malik’s repeated assertions that top pro-Taleban militant leader Fazlullah has been seriously injured and might have even died. The prime minister said it was the domain of the interior minister who should confirm the report.
He said a military cantonment would be set up in Swat and the capacity of law-enforcment agencies in the NWFP would be enhanced.
-Agencies