BEIJING
:
Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said fighting terrorism is the top priority of his government for the economic
and social uplift of the people of Pakistan.
In an interview to mass circulation English language China daily during his recent visit here to attend the Beijing
Olympics opening the prime minister said terrorism caused flight of capital.
“If there is one bomb blast, people will take money out of Pakistan. Investors are scared,” he said, adding that the
terrorist threat had destabilizing impact on the economy.
The country has had to face violence related to terrorism and the direct threat of Al-Qaida and the Taliban, he said.
“The priority of my government is to stop terrorism and extremism so that our friends from all over the world who are
investing in Pakistan can feel confident.”
Gilani said that a major source of instability was the large number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
“Because of their presence in Pakistan, there are a lot of complaints about cross-border activities,” he said, expressing
the hope that the refugees would return home.
“When there is stability, prosperity and development in Afghanistan, then the refugees will certainly return to their own
country,” Gilani said.
More than three million refugees still living in Pakistan have not returned due to chaos in their homeland.
Prime Minister Gilani said that a stable Afghanistan is in the interests of Islamabad.
To help check illegal cross-border movement, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed in June to introduce a biometric control
system, which requires the fingerprints of people wanting to cross the frontier.
Gilani said that this measure will help to identify any militant crossing the border.
However, he said that fully securing the 2,430-km frontier would be an almost impossible task. “We have established 1,000
checkpoints, but there are only 100 on the other side,” he added.
Regarding the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics he said, “it was fabulous and we really enjoyed it.”
When asked to predict the performance of Pakistani athletes, Gilani said he thought the country would hopefully win medals.
“But our main purpose is not to win, but to take part,” he said.
During his stay here Prime Minister Gilani also met with Chinese leadership including President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen
Jiabao and exchanged views with them on matters of common interest.
