Riham Mazen interviews Pakistani Prime Minister in Sharm El-Sheikh After Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's coup in 1999, Pakistan did not have a prime minister till Zafarullah Khan Jamali of the Pakistan Muslim League, a pro-Musharraf political party, in 2002. The suave finance minister, former Citibank vice- president Shaukat Aziz, was prime minister from 2004 to November 2007. Gillani was a federal minister (1985-1986) and speaker of the National Assembly (1993-1997). He was nominated as prime minister by the Pakistan People's Party, with the support of coalition partners, the Pakistan Muslim League, Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Muttahida Qaumi Movement on 22 March 2008. Gillani is also the present vice-chairman of the Pakistan People's Party. You have committed yourself to fight terrorism which you defined as a "sickness". Who and where are these terrorists? We are strongly committed to fighting terrorism. Pakistan has been suffering from the scourge of terrorism for years now. Terrorists have brought a bad name to our religion. They want to impose their own brand of Islam, which totally distorts the true spirit of Islam. We will not allow them to use our land for activities that are detrimental to peace. These terrorists who remain on the move belong to various nationalities. Our government is determined to eliminate this scourge through effective measures. Do you have intentions to normalise relations with the Taliban? No, it is not true. Pakistan will never negotiate with the militants. The government would like to exercise a multi-pronged strategy where force will be resorted to as the last option. We are ready to negotiate with all those who would lay down and decommission their arms. Besides, we would like to address the root causes of terrorism and tackle the issue at social, political and economic levels. Pakistan's role in the war on terror is in the best interest of our country. We will never allow any one to use our soil for terrorist activities. Recently, the US seemed to be uncomfortable about the role Pakistan plays in confronting terrorism, so how will Pakistan cooperate with the US? Pakistan is fighting terrorism and extremism in its own national interest. Pakistan has been a victim of terrorism for decades. To combat this menace, we have deployed over 100,000 troops on the border with Afghanistan. We have suffered heavy civilian casualties while hundreds of our security personnel have laid down their lives fighting terrorism. This has further fortified our resolve to fight terrorism. Pakistan will continue to work with the international community, including the US, to strengthen counter-terrorism efforts. The fight against terrorism can only be won through a comprehensive, multi- pronged strategy addressing political, socio-economic and security challenges. In the long-term, socio-economic development holds the key to the success of counter-terrorism measures. We appreciate and support the US initiatives to set up the Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) in the federally administered tribal areas. We expect our cooperation with the US to proceed along those tracks. What is the role played by Negroponte in Pakistan and is he linked to the assassination of Bhutto? John Negroponte is the co-chair of the Pakistan-US Strategic Dialogue. As a senior official of the US government, he periodically visits Pakistan to meet officials and exchange views on the ways to strengthen bilateral relations with Pakistan. Is there any development regarding the Kashmir problem? The ongoing composite dialogue between Pakistan and India addresses all important areas of our bilateral relationship. The growing trade between the two countries, the increase in people to people contacts and frequent cultural exchanges are encouraging features of the improving ties. However, we would also like to see a just and early resolution of all the outstanding issues including the Kashmir dispute, which remains the core issue between Pakistan and India. We believe that resolution of the outstanding disputes can open up vast opportunities of cooperation and collaboration between the two countries. How do you see accusations concerning Iran's nuclear programme, and do you think it aims at producing nuclear weapons? We support Iran's right to peaceful use of nuclear energy in accordance with the obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). We hope that Iran would be able to resolve its differences with the West on the nuclear issue within the framework of the NPT and IAEA. We are opposed to any coercive measure that could further escalate the tension in the region. How do you manage to work with President Musharraf seeing that many Pakistani people disagree with his policies? The roles of the president and the prime minister are very well defined in the constitution of Pakistan. The people of Pakistan have rejected the policies of President Pervez Musharraf in the general elections held in February. The policies of my government are guided by the party's manifesto and the mandate given to us by the people in the election and the aspirations of the people.
