Zardari: Pakistan stands by the will of people in Arab uprisings
(Photo: Today's Zaman)
10 December 2012 / SİNEM CENGİZ, ANKARA
Having paid a heavy price in their war against terrorism, Pakistan vows to prevent Islam from being hijacked, President Asif Ali Zardari said in an exclusive interview with Today's Zaman.
Sharing information on Pakistan's national unity in countering terrorism and extremism, Zardari recalled the losses his nation has suffered in their war against terrorism and reflected on its meaning for Pakistan as well as the region as a whole, where profound developments are taking place.
The Pakistani leader, while evaluating the developments taking place as part of the Arab Spring, said: “Pakistan desires that the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of [Arab] countries be respected and that the legitimate aspirations of the people be accommodated without resorting to violence.”
The Arab uprisings, which started at the end of 2010, resulted in the fall of the leaders in three Arab countries: Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. The uprisings of the people in Arab countries have been met with violent responses from the authorities.
Zardari, who is currently in Turkey for a two-day official visit, stated that there are incredible changes taking place in the Middle East. “There are popular demands for freedoms and democratic rights. The transformative process needs careful management and a broader consensus in order to avoid unintended consequences,” said Zardari.
The Pakistani leader spoke to Today's Zaman about several issues ranging from the Arab revolutions and Turkey's regional role, to Turkish-Pakistani bilateral relations and a trilateral summit between Turkey, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
When asked about the schedule of his visit to Turkey, Zardari stated that he would be meeting with top Turkish officials in Ankara and would attend the seventh Afghanistan-Pakistan-Turkey Trilateral Summit on Dec. 11-12. “I look forward to my meetings with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Turkish President Abdullah Gül and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Our main agenda is peace and stability in Afghanistan,” said Zardari.
Turkey-Pakistan enjoy ‘special relationship'
Touching on the bilateral relations between Turkey and Pakistan, Zardari stated that the two countries enjoy a “special relationship” that has few parallels in interstate relations. “These friendly ties are deeply embedded in our shared history and common cultural ethos. Physically we may live thousands of miles apart but our hearts beat together,” said Zardari.
The strength of Turkish-Pakistani relations is rooted in history. The support extended by Muslims of the subcontinent for the Turkish War of Independence occupies a special place in Turkish minds. The War of Independence and its success in establishing a modern state afterwards was a source of inspiration for Pakistanis since Aug. 14, 1947, the day Pakistan emerged as a sovereign state.
“It is our earnest endeavor to deepen, broaden and strengthen our partnership with Turkey in every field, especially in economic and commercial areas,” said Zardari.
Following the establishment of Pakistan, both countries extended support to each other during their most difficult times while cementing their friendly relations with frequent high-level visits.
“Regular high-level contacts between our leaders, business communities, academics, defense authorities, media and think tanks have further helped to cement this relationship,” Zardari said.
Zardari also praised Turkey's regional role, saying Turkey is a very important member of the international community. “Being part of Asia and Europe, Turkey really serves as a bridge between the East and West. We admire Turkey for its political stability and socioeconomic achievements and we greatly value Turkey's constructive role in promoting peace and stability in the region,” said Zardari.
The positive reflection of the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries can be seen in the international arena. Turkey and Pakistan support each other in all international platforms. Pakistan also adopts a highly supportive approach on international matters which are of special interest to Turkey.
Urgent need to enhance economic relations
Touching upon the economic relations between Turkey and Pakistan, Zardari stated that economic and commercial relations are not commensurate with the special historic relations.
“There is an urgent need to harness this potential and enhance trade by creating facilitative frameworks. As a first step, an early conclusion of a comprehensive and meaningful Preferential Trade Agreement [PTA] would certainly help to boost bilateral trade,” said Zardari.
Zardari also underlined that Pakistan is an investor friendly country, adding that it offers attractive incentives and complete legal protection to foreign investors.
Construction is the leading sector for Turkish investors in Pakistan. Turkish companies are becoming more active in the energy sector of Pakistan as well. Turkish firms built Pakistan's first wind turbines in 2009. In addition, Pakistan's volume of investment in Turkey is also growing.
“All sectors are open to foreign investment and foreign companies can now start their business on a 100 percent equity basis. Pakistan has always welcomed and encouraged Turkish companies to invest in the energy, infrastructure, housing, communications and agro-based industries. Pakistan is ready to offer special incentive packages and establish exclusive investment zones for Turkish companies,” Zardari said.
The Pakistani leader added that the positive momentum generated from the two meetings of the High-Level Cooperation Council (HLCC) must be sustained through vigorous follow-up of the decisions and agreements signed.
Zardari also put into words his pleasure over the activities of the Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TİKA) in Pakistan. “TİKA plays an important role. Its support and active involvement in the aftermath of the 2005 earthquake and the 2010 and 2011 floods was commendable,” said Zardari.
The humanitarian assistance which Turkey provided to Pakistan following the 2005 and 2008 earthquakes further strengthened the goodwill of Pakistanis towards Turkey.
TİKA is also preparing to restore items considered to be holy in Islam in Pakistan. For instance, it plans to restore a section at the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, where items that belong to the Prophet Muhammad, his family and friends are housed.
“The proposed project by TİKA to help restore Islamic relics in one of Pakistan's largest mosques, the Badshahi Masjid, will be an excellent effort to preserve our common Islamic heritage,” said Zardari.
There are more than 50 items at the Badshahi Mosque which belong to the Holy Prophet, his family and friends. They are presently being kept in a room in the mosque.
Turkey-Pakistan can serve as ‘pillars of stability'
When asked what Turkey and Pakistan can do together for the stability of the region, Zardari said he believes Pakistan and Turkey, being democracies, can serve as “pillars of stability” for the broader region.
Turkey considers Pakistan, with whom it is bound with brotherly ties, as one of the prominent players for the security and stability of the region.
Turkey has close ties with both Pakistan and Afghanistan and has spearheaded efforts for peace between the two countries, whose ties are often strained due to the Taliban issue.
Touching upon the trilateral summit between Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey, Zardari stated that the trilateral process is an important initiative aimed at promoting peace, stability and socioeconomic development in Afghanistan. “We are grateful to Turkey for its continued support of the process since the very beginning in 2007. Today after six summit meetings, it has evolved into an institutionalized tripartite mechanism for cooperation in diverse fields,” said Zardari.
Turkey, by organizing the trilateral summits, deems the contributions to peace and stability in this region as a priority.
The Afghanistan-Pakistan-Turkey trilateral process was launched in April 2007 and subsequent trilateral summits were hosted by Turkey in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. The summits focused on cooperation to promote peace, security and economic development in the region.
The presidents of Pakistan and Afghanistan said in November 2011 that they hoped the trilateral summit between the two countries and Turkey would lead to a reduction of recently inflamed tensions.
Stable Afghanistan in Pakistan's national interest
Zardari says Pakistan and Afghanistan enjoy excellent relations. “Pakistan will continue to support the Afghan-led process of promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan. A peaceful, prosperous and stable Afghanistan is in our own national interest,” said Zardari.
Afghan-Pakistani relations were strained after both accused the other of supporting terrorist attacks and activities in their respective countries. Afghanistan also has accused the Pakistani intelligence agency of involvement in the recent assassination of former President Burhanuddin Rabbani.
“Both Afghanistan and Pakistan have a common challenge in combating terrorism and the drug menace. Both countries need to work closely to confront these challenges. During the recent visit of the Afghan foreign minister to Pakistan, we started negotiations for a Strategic Partnership Agreement [SPA],” said Zardari.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Parliament recently approved a protocol to train Afghan and Pakistani military personnel. The protocol commits members of the armed forces from all three countries to take part in further training and cooperation.
Touching upon the approval of the protocol, Zardari stated that Pakistan is grateful to Turkey for its positive and constructive role for promoting understanding and cooperation, especially security cooperation, amongst the three countries under the trilateral mechanism.
The military and intelligence chiefs of Afghanistan and Pakistan attended the trilateral summit for the first time in April 2009.
The Pakistani leader also touched on the decision by NATO to withdraw its forces by the end of 2014. The strategy agreed by NATO, its partners and the Afghan government is to enable Afghans to take over the war against the Taliban and other insurgents by the end of 2014.
“We are hopeful that with the international community's support, Afghan security forces will be in a position to take full control of the country by 2014. We also hope that the international community will continue to remain engaged and fulfill its commitments for the development of Afghanistan beyond 2014,” said Zardari.
Malala represents aspirations of Pakistanis
Touching upon the shooting of Malala Yousufzai by Taliban gunmen, Zardari said: “Our daughter, the young and heroic Malala Yousufzai, defied terrorists. She refused to bow to the evil forces who seek to impose their agenda. Malala truly represents the aspirations of common Pakistanis who consider militancy a threat to our country and the world.”
Taliban gunmen shot and critically wounded Yousufzai on Oct. 9 as she was returning home from school in Pakistan's northwest. The militant group targeted her because of her vocal support for girls' education and criticism of the insurgents' behavior when they took over the scenic Swat Valley, where she lived several years ago.
The Yousufzai incident received a lot of attention from around the world. In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised the young Pakistani girl. “She was attacked and shot by extremists who don't want girls to have an education and don't want girls to speak for themselves, and don't want girls to become leaders,” Clinton said.
At the United Nations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the attack on Yousufzai, calling it a “heinous and cowardly act.”
Yousufzai is admired across Pakistan for exposing the Taliban's atrocities and advocating girls' education in the face of religious extremism.
‘Pakistani nation paid heavy price in war against terrorism'
The Pakistani leader stated that through Parliament, Pakistan has evolved a national consensus to counter terrorism and extremism.
“We cannot and will not allow Islam to be hijacked and will fight for the values and spirit of our great religion. The Pakistani nation has paid heavily in this war against terrorism. We have lost our great leader Shaheed Benazir Bhutto at the hands of terrorists,” said Zardari, who is the widower of Bhutto.
Bhutto, who served two non-consecutive terms as the first female prime minister of Pakistan, was assassinated in 2007.
The assassination of Bhutto was met with deep sadness in Turkey, which has had close ties with Pakistan since the South Asian nation's establishment 60 years ago, with politicians and leaders harshly condemning the killing and the Turkish Foreign Ministry describing the assassination as a “loathsome attack.”
“We shall be persistent in our struggle to defeat this mindset. Democracy, freedom and the support of our people are our best guarantees for success,” concluded Zardari.
Courtesy: Today's Zaman, 11 December 2012
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-300720-zardari-pakistan-stands-by-the-will-of-people-in-arab-uprisings.html
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