[Reader-list] J&K Militants are terrorists : Pakistan President

[Pawan Durani]

An interesting and important statement from Pakistan President .........

http://www.hindu.com/2008/10/06/stories/2008100650100100.htm

New York: Declaring that India is not a "threat" to his country, Pakistan
President Asif Ali Zardari has described the militants operating in Jammu
and Kashmir as "terrorists," the first such admission by any top Pakistani
leader.

"India has never been a threat to Pakistan. I, for one, and our democratic
government is not scared of Indian influence abroad," Mr. Zardari told *Wall
Street Journal* in an interview.

He spoke of the militant groups operating in Kashmir as "terrorists," the
paper said, noting that former President Pervez Musharraf would more likely
have called them "freedom fighters."

Indicating a major shift in Pakistan's well-known position, Mr. Zardari had,
as chief of the Pakistan People's Party, said in March that the ties between
the two countries should not be held "hostage" to the Kashmir issue, which
should be left for future generations to decide, raising hackles at home.

The latest positive signals from Mr. Zardari come days after his maiden
meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on the sidelines of the UN
General Assembly meeting.

Replying to a question, Mr. Zardari said he had no objection to the
India-U.S. nuclear deal so long as Pakistan was treated "at par."

"Why would we grudge the largest democracy in the world getting friendly
with one of the oldest democracies?" he said.

While seeking better ties with New Delhi, he noted that "there is no other
economic survival for nations like us. We have to trade with our neighbours
first." — PTI