Zardari says military drive against militants will continue

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari said the military drive against militants would continue till normalcy was restored in the country as a major offensive against the Taliban in the restive North West Frontier Province entered the second month.

Zardari reviewed the security situation across Pakistan with army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani at the presidential palace and especially the progress of the push against the militants in the Bajaur tribal region.

According to the military, over 1,000 Taliban fighters have been killed in Bajaur in the month-long offensive with officials saying that the success of the operation in this region is key to quelling militancy across the tribal belt.

Kayani, who has just returned from a visit to Bajaur and other in NWFP, said the operation in the region will continue and the move was endorsed by Zardari.

Zardari said Pakistan will continue its war against terror till peace is restored across the country.

He said nobody will be allowed to "spread negativity in the country that could prove detrimental to national sovereignty".

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, who escaped a bid on his life by a suicide bomber on Thursday, also met Zardari to discuss the security situation, especially in the tribal areas.

Zardari told them terrorism could be defeated if the country fosters unity and strength in its ranks.

Zardari and Gilani condemned the suicide attack on Khan that killed four persons.

Khan held "foreign elements" responsible for the attack and said such "cowardly acts" would not deter the ANP from its policy of establishing peace and stability in the country.

Gilani said the unflinching resolve of the political dispensation combined with the backing of the nation would frustrate the designs of terrorists.