Asia-Pacific

Pakistan confident of winning anti-terror war

By Ma Liyao and Qin Jize (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-05-10 07:02

BEIJING - Pakistan said on Monday that Osama bin Laden's death had not impacted its security in any significant way, and the nation was confident of overcoming the threat of terrorism.

"It's still early to conclude that any material change has been caused by bin Laden's death," Masood Khan, Pakistani ambassador to China, said in an interview with China Daily, referring to the terror threat a week after the killing of bin Laden.

The terror mastermind's death on May 2 in Abbottabad, a city in northern Pakistan, has brought terrorism back up the agenda, especially in the United States and Pakistan, with al-Qaida announcing its desire for revenge.

Responding to the Pakistani army's announcement that it will review cooperation with the US if the latter stages another unilateral raid, the ambassador said such a violation of Pakistani sovereignty should not be regarded as any sort of precedent.

However, Khan said that both sides issued positive statements after the killing, and the two need to work together to defeat terrorism.

"The US and NATO had a task to accomplish when they went to Afghanistan - to defeat al-Qaida, and the task is still there. It has not been accomplished," he added.

"We remain confident that our armed forces, security agencies, government, the parliament and the people of Pakistan can face the challenge, and they can come out of the crisis in triumph," Khan said.

Pakistan will step up its vigilance in the coming weeks and months. "If the terrorists continue to be relentless, we will have to adjust the strategy and tactics accordingly," the ambassador said.

He said the anti-terror campaign had proven very costly for Pakistan.

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Since 2001, more than 30,000 Pakistanis have fallen victim to terrorist attacks and more than 5,000 Pakistani troops have died fighting terrorism, according to Khan.

"Cities are hit, and innocent people are killed. It also creates a psychosis as a matter of fact, naturally everyone feels unsafe," Khan said.

He added that terrorism deters both domestic and foreign investment in the country.

But Pakistan's economy has proven to be resilient and kept growing despite the huge challenges and enormous costs the nation has faced, he said.

Khan added that eliminating the threat of terrorism is key to the country's development.

He called for international cooperation in combating terrorism and bringing terrorists to justice.

International frameworks that already exist in the region, such as NATO and the UN Mandate, should continue to help Pakistan fight terrorism, he said.

Pakistan has deployed a large number of troops and established 1,000 checkpoints on its border with Afghanistan.

A total of 40 key al-Qaida figures have been captured by Pakistan's security services over the past decade, according to the ambassador.

Da Wei, a researcher with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, noted that while the Pakistani government sees al-Qaida as a threat, and says that supporting US efforts is in the country's strategic interests, some Pakistani people have contacts with the Taliban and some sympathize with bin Laden.

"The killing of bin Laden has strengthened Pakistan's role as a US ally and will make the country the first target of terrorist attacks in the short term. All of this puts great pressure on its government," Da said.

Cui Haipei contributed to this story.