Musharraf vows to ‘liquidate’ terrorists | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Musharraf vows to ‘liquidate’ terrorists

ISLAMABAD- After the confirmation of US journalist Daniel Pearl’s murder, Pakistan and US, condemning the incident, agreed to continue war against terrorism and net the group involved in this act.

President Pervez Musharraf has ordered immediate arrest of killers of Daniel Pearl.

He has given orders to the security forces to ‘apprehend each and every member of the gang of terrorists involved in the gruesome murder of the US journalist Daniel Pearl’.

President Musharraf said he would ‘stay the course to ensure that his country and indeed this world is free of terror’.

The murder of the US journalist shocked General Musharraf and he has sympathised with his family and US government, an official statement said.

The statement said Gen Musharraf has also warned to punish each and every member of the gang of killers.
President Musharraf vowed to ‘liquidateÂ’ terrorists from his country.

‘I think our resolve increases with such acts to move more strongly against all such terrorists and those organisations that perpetrate such terrorism, to move against them and liquidate them entirely from the country,’ Musharraf said.

‘I am going to take this opportunity to express my resolve and the resolve of my government to move strongly, with all our force, against terrorism in Pakistan.

‘If the objective of these terrorists or those who perpetrated this murder was to move us away from our resolve, let me tell them that they are sadly mistaken,’ Musharraf said.

The President said he condoles from the depth of his heart to the widow and family members of the slain journalist and to the journalists and editors of the Wall Street Journal.

The President said: ‘Nothing can more malign Islam than a person who calls himself Muslim, claims his link with an Islamic organisation and then commits murder.’

General Musharraf said many of the persons who have committed the murder have been apprehended.
‘The government will make all efforts to arrest the remaining culprits and give them the harshest punishment to teach a lesson to those involved in terrorist acts in the country,’ he added.

MOINUDDIN HAIDER: ‘President Musharraf telephoned President Bush on Friday afternoon to convey heart-felt sympathies of the people and the government of Pakistan. They agreed the culprits cannot be the friends of Islam,’ Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider told journalists.

Moin said, during the talk, President Bush referred to the joint efforts by both the countries but regretted that Pearl’s life could not be saved.

‘They also agreed to continue campaign against terrorism and make the world peaceful and safe. President Musharraf assured him that Pakistan government was making all efforts to arrest the perpetrators of this act,’ the Interior Minister said.

To a question, he said this act was of no help to Pakistan. ‘It has tarnished Pakistan’s image. We have got the prime accused and three of his accomplices. Four more people are required. We know their names and we are after them.’

INDIAN INVOLVEMENT: About Indian involvement, he said: ‘It is premature to say anything unless the four persons required in this case are arrested.’ However, the Interior Minister said the prime suspect had been in Indian jail for five years and was released after the plane hijacking.

He said seeing the video tape, no definite clue was available whether Pearl was dead or alive. ‘It was unanimously established after seeing the tape at the US Consulate General’s office in Karachi that Daniel Pearl is dead.’

He told journalists that a Karachi-based Pakistani reporter of a New York newspaper had given this tape. ‘We are in touch with the reporter and interrogating him. To disclose the name of the reporter and the newspaper would not be useful.’
However, Moin said the journalist had given them the description of three persons, their ages and their built who had given him the tape. ‘We are looking into the matter whether these three people are the same we are after.’
FOREIGNERS SAFETY: To a question about foreigners safety in Pakistan, he said: ‘There are thousands of foreigners in Pakistan including journalists. All foreigners living in Pakistan are safe.’

He said this was one tragic incident. ‘All possible security precautions have been taken and we are going to take much stronger action against these groups.’

He said thousands of journalists were in Pakistan to cover war in Afghanistan but no such incident had happened. ‘We are surely after them. Once it is done, the whole net will be broken.’

He said: ‘From this professionally-executed act of terror, we can see that stronger action is required against these criminals and terrorists. The government and people of Pakistan are determined to take stronger possible action against such terrorists and bring them to swift justice.’

He said Federal Law and Justice Minister Shahida Jamil had met Mrs Daniel Pearl to express deep condolences on behalf of the government and the people of Pakistan and President General Pervez Musharraf.

He earlier expressed deepest shock over the brutal murder of Daniel Pearl who was a respected journalist and offered condolences to the members and the friends of the family.
Source: The Nation
Date:2/23/2002