Army chief briefs PM on terror war

Islamabad: Pakistan's army chief briefed the country's new civilian leaders yesterday before they review the US-backed policies of President Pervez Musharraf in fighting Islamist militancy.

General Ashfaq Kiyani met with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, key Cabinet ministers and leaders of parties in the ruling coalition.

Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said Kiyani gave a detailed briefing on security issues and the war on terror.

Among those attending the meeting were Nawaz Sharif, who was ousted as premier in Musharraf's 1999 coup, and Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of slain former premier Benazir Bhutto.

Security analyst Nasim Zehra says the meeting reflected the shift in power to civilians after February elections and the new government's intent to reconsider Musharraf's anti-terrorism policies.

Alarming rise

Musharraf stepped down as army chief in November but wants to stay on as president, despite calls from some elements of the new government for him to quit power altogether.

The past year has seen an alarming rise in Islamist militant violence, which has spread to major cities across Pakistan from the Afghan border where Taliban and Al Qaida find sanctuary.

A statement from Gilani's office on yesterday's briefing said the army presented what it had done to "stabilise" Pakistan's tribal regions and the Swat Valley - scene of recent military operations.

The new government says combating extremism is its No 1 priority, but it is also offering to negotiate with militant groups that are prepared to renounce violence, rather than rely on military force.

Gilani has planned a strategy combining political engagement, economic development and 'backed by a creditable military element", the statement said.

Fazlur Rehman, who leads a small Islamist party in the coalition and attended yesterday's briefing, called for a "political" resolution of the conflict.

"The solution should be through talks, and the constant use of force should end now," he said, though conceded that the government had yet to work out its overall strategy.

Fresh attack

Over the weekend, CIA Director Michael Hayden reiterated US concerns that Al Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden could be plotting another attack on America from a safe haven along the Pakistan-Afghan border.

Speaking on NBC television, Hayden declined to comment on reports that the US was escalating airstrikes against Al Qaida operatives in Pakistan's tribal areas as Musharraf's influence wanes.

Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq said Hayden's statement was vague and unhelpful in pinpointing Al Qaida hideouts. Pakistani forces would act on any firm intelligence supplied by the US and Nato, he said. He said Pakistani forces were solely responsible for operations on their side of the frontier and that Islamabad "will not allow [foreign] action on Pakistani territory and if there is any violation it will be addressed."