By NNN-APP,
Islamabad : President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday said that non-state actors cannot hold nations hostage, as the Mumbai blasts have given Pakistan and India a chance to turn a calamity into an opportunity.
“This is an opportunity rather than a defeat of nations. Because the nations cannot be held hostage. We don’t think that great nations can be held hostage by non-state actors,” he said in an interview with AAJ television.
The President said that it often happens in history that non- state actors do push the nations towards a situation where fallout is horrific.
He regretted that India suffered great losses in the Mumbai terror attacks as many people were killed and their financial capital was under siege for three days.
The President, however, said that both India and Pakistan should learn lesson from this tragedy and focus on the larger problem of terrorism.
“I have always tried to turn a calamity into an opportunity. It is a warning for a larger problem, and we have to learn a lesson from this,” the President added.
After the Mumbai attacks, the President said, he talked to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, who like him, has been a victim of terrorism and conveyed his sympathies over the tragedy.
He said next day he talked to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to express grief and shock over the Mumbai terror attacks.
Replying to a question if the Mumbai blasts were leading the two countries towards 2002 like situation, the President said there is a difference between democratic and dictatorial regime.
He said since his government came into power, there have been increased interaction between the two countries on bilateral as well as people to people level.
To a question he said the democratic and military leadership of the country were unanimous on matters of national issues.
“I don’t think the democratic and military leadership are on a different page,” he added.
About withdrawing Pakistani troops from western border in case of any misadventure on eastern border, the president said it was an analysis by observers.
“We are not considering that as an alternative.”
He also made it clear that no one in a responsible position in the government like the President, the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister or the Foreign Secretary has said any thing of this sort.
He said it was a mere impression created by media and political observers that Pakistan was going to withdraw its forces from western borders.
President Zardari said Pakistan was in contact with the world leaders over the current situation in the region.