Gilani says no action against Musharraf if he stays out of politics

Islamabad, Nov 3 : Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has reportedly said that his government won't take any action against the country's former president Pervez Musharraf as long as he stayed away from politics.

Gilani described Musharraf as a relic of the past whom his government didn't want to disturb now.

"Now, he keeps a low profile. If he is not politically active, then we would not want to open too many fronts. He was convinced that he lacked the parliament's support, and he stepped down," the Daily Times quoted him as saying in an interview with a Turkish daily.

He added: "Although parliament has not made a decision on his fate until now, the government is not seeking further punishment. He is a relic of the past. Why should we bother about him at the moment?"

The prime minister further said that the government was committed to addressing the root causes of violence in the country and reserved the use of force as a last resort to deter terrorists.

He also hinted that his government would be ready to talk to the Taliban to end the violence, provided that they were not involved in terrorism. "We are not talking to people who are militants. We are only talking to the people who have denounced terrorism," the prime minister said.

ANI