Pakistan marks independence amid war on terrorism

By Kamran Haider

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Fifty-nine years after winning
partition from India and independence from British colonial
rule, Pakistan’s future rested on defeating terrorism, Prime
Minister Shaukat Aziz said in an Independence Day speech on
Monday.

Pakistan said last week it played a crucial role in helping
British and U.S. intelligence agencies bust a plot to explode
U.S.-bound passenger planes in mid air, leading to the arrest
of at least 24 British Muslims in central and southeast
England.

While Pakistan detained at least seven suspected members of
the plot, including a British national named Rashid Rauf, who
it says had links to al Qaeda fighters hiding in Afghanistan,
Aziz made no specific mention of the intelligence success.

“Today, the world is engulfed by terrorism. Pakistan is
fighting this challenge along with the world community. It is a
threat for Pakistan’s development and stability,” Aziz told an
audience of diplomats, government ministers and bureaucrats
during a flag-raising ceremony in the capital.

“We took certain steps to tackle these challenges and got
fruitful results,” said Aziz, who survived an assassination
attempt two years ago, just before taking up the premiership.

Pakistan remains dogged by anti-state, anti-Western and
sectarian violence, between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims.

A bomb blast on Monday near a stall selling Pakistan’s
national flag in Hub, a town in the restive province of
Baluchistan some 35 km (22 miles) from the southern city of
Karachi, killed one person and wounded six.

Aside from hunting al Qaeda and its allies among homegrown
militant groups, Pakistan’s army has been fighting tribesmen
sympathetic to the Taliban in the Waziristan border region, as
well as rebels seeking greater autonomy in Baluchistan.

Pakistan is also under pressure from the United States and
other NATO countries to stop Islamist fighters crossing over to
southern Afghanistan that is going through the bloodiest phase
of insurgency since the Taliban militia were ousted in 2001.

And neighbouring India wants Islamabad to stamp out jihadi
groups waging war in disputed Kashmir.

AFGHANISTAN, KASHMIR

Aziz made a brief mention of Afghanistan and Kashmir.

“We will continue our support for promotion of peace and
democracy in Afghanistan,” Aziz said.

Celebrating the 59th anniversary of Pakistan’s formation,
Aziz also assured Kashmiris that Pakistan would not abandon
their cause as it sought peace with India.

“I assure Kashmiri elders, brothers and sisters that
Pakistan will support them politically, diplomatically and
morally until they get their rights,” Aziz said, adding the
dispute over Kashmir must be settled along with other issues to
bring about a durable peace.

India and Pakistan have improved relations in a peace
process that began at the start of 2004, but there has been
little progress on the core dispute of Kashmir.

Last month’s bomb blasts in Mumbai, that killed over 180
people, prompted New Delhi to put off scheduled talks to review
the “composite dialogue” as the peace process is called.

India celebrates its Independence Day on Tuesday — while
India won freedom from British rule at midnight, Pakistan got
its independence a minute before.