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Pakistan shifts troops from Indian border

Washington: President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday said Pakistan had moved some of its forces from the Indian border and was ready to shift some more to fight the Taliban and Al-Qaeda terrorists.

The U.S. has been pressing Pakistan to step up its offensive against the Taliban but Islamabad was reluctant to move troops from the eastern border as it considered India its main threat.

U.S. President Barack Obama, who met Mr. Zardari here, has been trying to convince Pakistan that such a belief was “misguided” and that the terrorists inside the country posed the most serious threat to its security and safety. “Let me tell you that we have moved some more [troops] recently because the action asked for it. If need be, we will move more,” Mr. Zardari told the popular Charlie Rose Show on PBS when asked about the U.S. request. Afghan President Hamid Karzai also appeared on the show.

“It was a demand-based proposition, when the demand goes up, we shift. Whenever we have to move, we will have to move from that [Indian] border towards this [Afghan border],” he said.

Mr. Zardari’s comments came after the U.S. said it continued to be concerned over the situation in Pakistan. Washington also voiced skepticism over assurances given by Mr. Zardari to Mr. Obama on the Taliban issue and made it clear that the country needed to “do more” to meet the threat.

Asked about the perceived threat from India, he said the Indian border was sometimes hot and sometimes cold.

“But democracies are always trying to get friendly with each other... We are trying to improve our relationship with India. So we never talk war. Pakistan under a democratic system has never gone to war with India,” he argued.

“At the same time, there is an active threat on the Afghan border from our side, from their side, from within the mountains, and that’s where we’re engaged today. Today’s war for the perceivable future for the world and for us is that area,” Mr. Zardari said, indicating he was now convinced that the Taliban posed a serious security threat to his country.

“I can assure you that everybody in my government knows that the threat is to them. It is not a threat to you or anybody else,” he said.

The Pakistan President said his country needed equipment to fight the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. “We need much more help. And more technology. We need more helicopters, we need night vision equipment. I have even asked for drones,” he said.

Mr. Zardari said Pakistan’s nuclear weapons were safe and would never fall into the hands of the Taliban or the Al-Qaeda.

He said the reports about an imminent Taliban takeover of Islamabad were a media creation. “The Taliban are in the mountains, which are geographically 80 miles from Islamabad. They have always been there. Didn’t show up yesterday. So if they take one hill top and try to take the others that does not mean that Islamabad is in danger,” Mr. Zardari said. — PTI

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