Pakistan promises 'iron fist' against terrorism

摘要

Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gillani has pledged "to fight terrorism and extremism with an iron fist" amid mounting criticism of his country's resolve to fight the Taliban. Gillani's 8 July comments came after Afghan officials blamed Pakistani agents for bombing the Indian embassy in Kabul the day before. A continuing Pakistani military operation in Bara in Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) aimed at targeting militants has also been drawing criticism, with the government accused of sending mixed messages for concurrently continuing peace negotiations. A Peshawar-based military spokesman admitted to Jane's on 2 July that the operation was merely aimed at targeting "criminal gangs ... separate from the Taliban". A prominent Western ambassador to Islamabad told Jane's on 9 July that the government's refusal to conclusively end peace negotiations with Islamic militants was jeopardising the fight against the Taliban.