Can War On Terror Be Won?

Foriegn Minister of United Kindom accepted the fact that war on terror was a mistake. This question is still debatable, but President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari has said that the war on terrorism would be won at all cost. If the war on terror was a mistake then how it can be won. Whether the UK official has been making wrong assessment or the president of Pakistan has been making a wrong claim.

President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday said defeat was not an option in the war against terrorism and militancy and we have to triumph to protect and defend our way of life.

'Let me also tell you that we are fated to succeed in this war no matter what the odds and what our critics may say,' the President said while addressing the members of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry here at the Aiwan-i-Sadr to highlight the problems of development and industry in the province.
NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti, Federal Ministers Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Arbab Alamgir Khan, Waqar Ahmad Khan, Najmuddin Khan, Noorul Haque Qadri, Rehman Malik and Shaukat Tarin also attended the meeting.
The President said the militants wanted to take over the state and impose their political agenda on our people but they will never be allowed to succeed.
He said fighting militancy was our collective responsibility and instead of dwelling on the past, 'we should look forward and take the bull by the horn.'
The President said that after critically examining what went wrong and admitting the mistakes of the past, there was a need to move forward and find a solution.
He advised the Investment Ministry and the industrialists and businessmen of Frontier province to hold road shows in countries across the world to highlight the industrial potential of the province and how it had been gravely undermined by militancy.
The President referred to the proposed adoption of the Alaskan model of development in which private entrepreneurs joined hands with the state sector to set up industries and projects. This way, both the people and the investors will benefit, he added.
The President said the Chinese had shown great interest in investing in different projects in various parts of the country and the entrepreneurs from Frontier could benefit by exploring possibilities of joint ventures with foreign investors.
NWFP's businessmen and industrialists, speaking on the occasion, highlighted the problems faced by them due to the militants' onslaught and demanded special incentives to rejuvenate the industrial sector of the province.
The President asked Shaukat Tarin, Advisor on Finance, to have a special meeting with the representatives of the Chamber and relevant federal ministers and report on measures that can be adopted to revive the NWFP Industry.
Advisor on Interior Rehman Malik also spoke on the occasion and highlighted the measures taken thus far to restore normality in the troubled areas.
He said the Frontier Constabulary had been placed under the Chief Minister for deployment wherever needed to augment the police force.
He said special training programmes had also been launched to train law enforcement agencies in fighting militants.
A soft loan was offered by China in this regard and necessary equipment had been selected to equip the law enforcement agencies with latest arms, Malik said.

Source: dawn.com