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India not a threat

* President says Taliban an international threat, can spread if not defeated
* Seeks world’s help to fight extremist madrassas
* UK must tackle issues of deprivation to stop radicalisation

LAHORE: India is no longer a military threat to Pakistan, while the Taliban threaten not only the world, but also our way of life, President Asif Ali Zardari has said.

“I do not consider India a military threat; the question is that India has the capability. Capability is what matters. (With regard to) intention I think we both have our good intentions. India is a reality, Pakistan is a reality, but Taliban are a threat, an international threat … to our way of life. And at the moment, I’m focused on the Taliban. It’s something that has been going on for a long time and of course went unchecked under the dictatorial rule of the last president,” he told EuroNews while visiting Brussels for the first summit between the European Union (EU) and Islamabad.

He said he shared the EU’s concerns about the madrassas in the Tribal Areas that were spreading Taliban ideology, adding Pakistan needed financial support from the international community to help it fight the madrassas’ influence.

Discussing the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear assets, the president said “everybody who needs to know in the world” is aware that the assets are in safe hands. Zardari said he believed NATO needed to be more responsible in its strategy in South Asia, adding they needed to understand the terrorists could follow them home.

Deprivation: Also on Tuesday, President Zardari said Britain has to tackle its own issues of deprivation to stop the radicalisation of British Muslims. In an interview with ITV’s “News at Ten”, he rejected the suggestion it was Pakistan’s role to win the hearts and minds of radicalised British Muslims.

Zardari denied any knowledge of militant training camps in Pakistan.

The president also rejected British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s description of the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan as the “crucible for global terrorism”. daily times monitor/reuters

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