Islamabad: Pakistan has resumed dialogue with militants to find a "durable solution" to the problem of terrorism after the process was disrupted by a US drone strike, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Thursday.
The government is also in the final stages of framing a National Security Policy that will help it effectively combat militancy and eradicate extremism, he said while addressing senior civil and military officers participating in a course
at the National Defence University here.
The government initiated steps for a dialogue with militants in light of decisions made during an All-Parties Conference but a US drone strike disrupted the process, he said.
The government has again started the process of dialogue with militants, he said. "The process of dialogue was started in all earnest with a genuine desire for peace," he said. "We want a durable solution of the menace of terrorism and the use of force will only be our last resort," Khan was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Interior Ministry.
Pakistan has categorically communicated to the US that drone strikes are counter-productive and must immediately be stopped. "This continues to be an irritant in the Pakistan-US relationship," he said.
The new National Security Policy will have three components "secret, strategic and operational", he said without giving details. "Our enemy is vague and divided and our security policy is proactive in nature, which will address the problems that are being faced by the country," he said.
The government will make all-out efforts to enhance the operational capability of law enforcement agencies and the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (NACTA) will be the focal point for counter-terror efforts, Khan said.
A Joint Intelligence Directorate will also be established under NACTA for intelligence analysis and coordination among intelligence agencies.
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