Musharraf Urges 'Jihad' on Terror

18/01/2004| IslamWeb

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf yesterday braved opposition heckling and demands to step down as he addressed the parliament for the first time and called for a holy war on extremism. "I appeal to you and the people of Pakistan to wage a jihad against extremism," he told parliament in his first address to a joint sitting of the national assembly and senate since his 1999 coup. Opposition legislators from former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party and another ex-premier, Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N, tried to shout Musharraf down. They brandished pictures of the exiled leaders and placards denouncing the military's hold on power. "Go Musharraf Go", "Down with the dictator", "Stranger in the house", "Politics of bullet and baton will not be allowed" and "Rule of generals, colonels not accepted," the opposition MPs chanted. Earlier, MPs of the Islamic opposition alliance Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) walked out shortly after Musharraf started speaking. Ignoring the uproar, Musharraf said Pakistan was at a crossroads, facing accusations from the international community. Musharraf said it was alleged that Pakistan's tribal territory was a source of terrorism in Afghanistan and there were also accusations of terrorism on the Line of Control in Kashmir, the de facto border dividing the Himalayan territory. He said Pakistan's image in the world was that of an extremist and intolerant society. "We have to take important decisions to correct the image, otherwise our future generations will have to pay a very heavy price for our neglect and inaction," he said. "We will have to take Pakistan out of the negative perceptions and take the country to the road of progress." He said Pakistan would have to stamp out any terrorist activity from its tribal areas with full force. The only way to counter allegations of terrorism in Kashmir was to move towards a peaceful and just settlement of the Kashmir dispute, he said. "The progress that has been made in that direction has to be taken forward with sincerity and in keeping with the aspirations of the people of Kashmir for achieving a solution," Musharraf said. He was alluding to his landmark agreement with Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee earlier this month to resume dialogue on all issues, including Kashmir. In New Delhi, Vajpayee yesterday said he hoped the commitments given him by Pakistani leaders during would be implemented "sincerely". While the vocal show of opposition in parliament is no immediate threat to Musharraf's rule, the barracking on national television was an embarrassment that could undermine the popular support he enjoys despite seizing power in a coup. Fazal ur Rehman, a leader of the Islamic alliance, told reporters it would continue to oppose support for the war on terror. "We are against the unilateral policies of General Musharraf and his team that are meant to fulfill American designs," he said. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf.