Failure against Taliban, Qaeda in Pak will spread terror across continents: Zardari

Washington, June 22(ANI): The President of Pakistan, Asaf Ali Zardari, has expressed his fears over Taliban and Al-Qaeda turning out to be a major threat to the world, if their destabilizing alliance is allowed to triumph in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"If the Taliban and al-Qaeda are allowed to triumph in our region, their destabilizing alliance will spread across the continents," Zardari wrote in the Washington Post.

Consequently, he highlighted the need for democracy to succeed in Pakistan in order to extradite these fears.

"We need short- and long-term strategies, and we must realize that to truly eliminate the terrorist menace, we have to succeed not only militarily but politically, economically and socially," Zardari wrote.

Zardari further wrote that 'dancing with dictators never pays off'. Noting examples of Marcos regime in the Philippines, Mohammed Zia ul-Haq and Pervez Musharraf in Pakistan, to the Shah in Iran, he stated that even the worst democracy is better than any dictatorship.

"Dictatorship leads to frustration, extremism and terrorism. But the past is the past, and we can't undo it. We can, however, address the consequences of past mistakes and make sure they are not repeated. My most immediate goal is for the civilized world to rally to the support of Pakistani democracy and the Pakistani people's struggle against extremism," Zardari wrote.

In the battle against Taliban, Pakistan has so far lost 1,200 soldiers, while thousands of civilians are victims of attacks such as the recent bombing of the Pearl Continental Hotel in Peshawar.

Zardari also called on the rest of the world to match the assistance being provided to it by the US to contain the terrorist menace.

"The United States has committed $1.5 billion a year for five years to help stabilize our economy. Now, the rest of the world must step up and match the U.S. effort. Pakistan needs a robust assistance package so that we can deliver for the people and defeat the militants," he concluded. (ANI)