Terrorism is a global threat and needs to be battled collectively: Zardari

Islamabad, Dec.9 (ANI): Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said that the menace of terrorism is affecting his country as much as India, and added that it would be a futile exercise to pin the blame just on Pakistan.

In an article for the New York Times, Zardari says: "Terrorism is a regional as well as a global threat, and it needs to be battled collectively. We understand the domestic political considerations in India in the aftermath of Mumbai. Nevertheless, accusations of complicity on Pakistan's part only complicate the already complex situation.""For India, Pakistan and the United States, the best response to the Mumbai carnage is to coordinate in counteracting the scourge of terrorism. The world must act to strengthen Pakistan's economy and democracy, help us build civil society and provide us with the law enforcement and counter-terrorism capacities that will enable us to fight the terrorists effectively," he adds.In the article, Zardari attempts to co-relate the recent death and destruction in Mumbai with the October 18, 2007 assassination attempt on his late wife and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

"The terrorist attacks in Mumbai may be a news story for most of the world. For me it is a painful reality of shared experience. Having seen my wife escape death by a hairbreadth on that day in Karachi, I lost her in a second, unfortunately successful, attempt two months later. The Mumbai attacks were directed not only at India but also at Pakistan's new democratic government and the peace process with India that we have initiated," he claims.

"To foil the designs of the terrorists, the two great nations of Pakistan and India, born together from the same revolution and mandate in 1947, must continue to move forward with the peace process. Pakistan is shocked at the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. We can identify with India's pain. I am especially empathetic. I feel this pain every time I look into the eyes of my children," he adds.Pakistan, he says in his article, is committed to the pursuit, arrest, trial and punishment of anyone involved in these heinous attacks, but cautions against hasty judgments and inflammatory statements.

He concludes by saying that the challenge of confronting terrorists who have a vast support network is huge and Pakistan's fledgling democracy needs help from the rest of the world to wipe out this scourge. (ANI)