Pak govt to equip paramilitary forces to fight terrorism

Islamabad, July 12 (UNI) Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf today announced his decision to equip the country's paramilitary forces with latest equipment, including tanks and guns, to fight terrorism and vowed to curb extremism.

In his televised address to nation a day after completion of a military operation against beseiged Lal Masjid, Gen Musharraf said, ''We have to eliminate terrorism and extremism from our society.'' The event had left 85 people dead.

Since most of the 75 militants killed during the two-day army operation in the mosque belonged to the North-western Frontier Province (NWFP) and tribal regions, the government has decided to equip frontier corps, frontier constabulory, police and local militia with tanks and guns.

He said they would undergo six-month military training with full support and backing of the army.

He said the operation against the Lal Mosque had become inevitable because the institution was serving as nursery of extremist forces.

''What kind of Islam were they promoting by occupying and damaging government buildings, kidnapping foreign nationals and police personnel and harassing people on streets?'' asked President Musharraf.

He said the talks with 'firebrand' cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi collapsed because he wanted safe passage not only for himself, but also for foreign militants, who were hiding inside the mosque.

The commando operation had been launched early Tuesday morning, minutes after talks between the government and the beseiged radical cleric collapsed.

The President of ruling Pakistan Muslim League, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who led government's negotiating team held Ghazi responsible for collapse of talks, said the government had agreed to provide safe passage to Ghazi. He said Ghazi had sabotaged the agreement by raising petty objection to the draft agreement.

Ghazi was killed in the crossfire between militants and commandos yesterday after he was found holed up in one of the basements of the complex.

In his last telephonic talk with private Geo TV, Ghazi had termed the operation a naked aggression and said people would not spare rulers and their families. He had said that he preferred to die than surrender himself.

UNI