Qureshi warns of Taliban moving into India, Gulf

[HAIDER]

SLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has called for more international aid to combat extremists, saying that the Taliban could otherwise move into India and the Gulf.

The warning from Mr Qureshi, in an interview published in the Financial Times on Monday, comes two days before the first summit of the European Union and Pakistan leaders in Brussels, at which aid for Pakistan would likely top the agenda.

He called for $2.5 billion alone in emergency relief and reconstruction aid for the northwest, where troops have been locked in heavy combat with Taliban militants since late April.

Mr Qureshi’s comments come as Pakistan expands its anti-Taliban offensive in the northwest to the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

‘They (militants) have a global agenda, they have a regional agenda, and they are not confined to Pakistan. They could go into the Gulf, they could go into India, they can go anywhere,’ Mr Qureshi said.

‘There is a collective interest and there has to be a collective realisation that this is not Pakistan’s problem. It’s a larger problem.’ The foreign minister said the international community needed to help Pakistan improve its counter-terrorism capacity and stabilise its flagging economy.

‘When we do it with our own resources, obviously other areas will suffer because we’ll have to divert resources. This cannot be ignored,’ Mr Qureshi said.

The US House of Representatives voted last week to triple US aid to $1.5 billion annually through the 2013 fiscal year. The House and the Senate now need to reconcile their aid bills, which lawmakers say could take months.

Pakistan has earmarked Rs50 billion ($617 million) for aid to the northwest in its budget for fiscal 2009-2010 starting from July 1, unveiled at the weekend.

Mr Qureshi warned that if more money needed to be diverted from state coffers to help the two million people displaced by the fighting in the northwest, the country’s economy -- and its efforts to fight the Taliban -- would suffer.

‘It will slow down our recovery. It will compromise our ability to fight militancy, obviously poverty levels will go up, obviously it will help the militants,’ he said.—AFP
DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Qureshi warns of Taliban moving into India, Gulf

 

[PeacefulIndian]

Excuse # 1031 for more aid

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has called for more international aid to combat extremists, saying that the Taliban could otherwise move into India and the Gulf.

Excuse # 1032 for more aid

He called for $2.5 billion alone in emergency relief and reconstruction aid for the northwest, where troops have been locked in heavy combat with Taliban militants since late April.

Excuse # 1033 for more aid

‘When we do it with our own resources, obviously other areas will suffer because we’ll have to divert resources. This cannot be ignored,’ Mr Qureshi said.

Excuse # 1034 for more aid

‘It will slow down our recovery. It will compromise our ability to fight militancy, obviously poverty levels will go up, obviously it will help the militants,’ he said.

 

[MZUBAIR]

Its only Pakistan People's party. These idiots just filling their pockets. Zardari is their father, he killed his wife (Benazir Bhutto). Its the mistake of people to select PPP in 2008 elections. They are earning million Dollars and doing nothing for Swat, Bonear, Malakand people.

 

[zubair723]

TALIBAN moving into GULF maybe very far off, especially UAE .But TALIBAN in INDIA is a very near reality. Dont be suprised to see non-muslim TALIBAN in INDIA. Its not that TALIBAN are going to catch planes & boats & land there. TALIBAN is an extreme reaction which will always find local recruits

 

[Jako]

Hahah.....not hapenning till raw stops funding taliban!!! Lolz

 

[PeacefulIndian]

TALIBAN moving into GULF maybe very far off, especially UAE .But TALIBAN in INDIA is a very near reality. Dont be suprised to see non-muslim TALIBAN in INDIA. Its not that TALIBAN are going to catch planes & boats & land there. TALIBAN is an extreme reaction which will always find local recruits

Sorry, you can not equate Taliban to just any form of violence or terrorism. Taliban is like a parallel governing body which will prosper with any of the following -

1. Unstable democratic government, with people getting tired of ups & downs in political system & looking to get an alternative which would make life easier for them.
2. Religious Extremism on a large scale with lots of uneducated people to fall prey to the ideology. You simply can not take the religion factor out of the picture.
3. The government itself appeasing religious extremists in some form or other, creating doubt in peoples' mind about exactly what ideology they should follow.

One or more of the above will definitely get some public support for any 'Taliban'. Is everything above seen in Pakistan? Yes, that is why the Taliban is as powerful as it is today. Is ANYTHING seen in India? No, excepting the naxalism which claim to be true maoists. If you want to equate them to Taliban, I don't have an issue. But it is not something new, it is something with which we are fighting for years.

OTOH, Taliban going to Gulf is a very real possibility, by considering that they substantial public & financial support from countries like Saudi Arabia. I will be surprised if they are already not there, may be on a very small scale, but they would definitely have some existence there.

 

[AliFarooq]

2. Religious Extremism on a large scale with lots of uneducated people to fall prey to the ideology. You simply can not take the religion factor out of the picture.
3. The government itself appeasing religious extremists in some form or other, creating doubt in peoples' mind about exactly what ideology they should follow.

These two things exist in India, you just have to do a little bit of research. May it be the Hindus or Muslims.

 

[SecularHumanist]

He is just saying this to create fear and get more aid. The Taliban won't be going to gulf or India, but they will have to leave Pak and go to Afghanistan. However, Al-Qaeda will have to leave Pak. Read the latest news and you will see that the CIA has said that Al-Qaeda is running from Pak and going to Somalia and Yemen.