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‘Pakistan to fight anti-terror war but not on its own soil’

* Rehman Malik notes no Pakistani has been placed in US custody under new govt

By Tahir Niaz

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government wants to fight the war against terrorism, but not on its own soil, Adviser to Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik said on Saturday.

Commenting on the Mohmand Agency incident in the National Assembly, he assured parliament that a joint investigation team would conduct a probe into the attack and its findings would be shared with the House. The government will not take dictation on its foreign policy from any quarters, he added.

Responding to cut motions moved by opposition members that the Interior Ministry’s expenditures should be reduced since it had failed to show satisfactory performance, he said the government was striving to establish the rule of law in the country. There had been a 96 percent reduction in terrorism in the Sindh and Punjab provinces since the new government came into power, he said, adding that a 50 percent reduction in bombings had also been recorded in the NWFP.

He assured the House that 15,000 new law-enforcement personnel would be recruited in Sindh after the budget was finalised to monitor the cases of kidnapping for ransom.

The adviser said the government had busted two terrorist groups in the past few days. He also said that a new information sharing system, comprised of telephone, email and SMS communication, would soon be introduced to facilitate people.

No transfers: Malik said that since the new government had come into power, not even a single Pakistani had been placed in the United States’ custody. Rather, he added, the government had been working to return Pakistanis to their homeland.

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