We created militancy for short term gains: Zardari

Pakistan now seems to be feeling the heat of the fire it had lighted years ago with President Asif Ali Zardari admitting that the menace of extremism and militancy were created by Islamabad itself to attain some tactical goals.

Addressing a gathering of retired federal secretaries and senior bureaucrats in Islamabad, Zardari asked the officials to admit the reality.

'Let us be truthful to ourselves and make a candid admission of the realities. Militancy and extremism emerged on the national scene and challenged the state not because the civil bureaucracy was weakened and demoralised, but because they were deliberately created and nurtured as a policy to achieve some short-term tactical objectives,' The Daily Times quoted Zardari, as saying.

Referring to the political turmoil in the country, Zardari said Pakistan cannot afford political brick batting at present, as the State is on the verge of collapse due to the impending threat from the Taliban and other terror organizations.

'We intend to keep all the political forces together in a harmonious relationship as we cannot afford political games and confrontational politics. We are at the brink and we must realize that political games for personal gain can no longer be played,' he said.

Zardari also stressed on the need of dispersing power to different hands for effective governance.

'Too much power, when concentrated in one hand lasts only for a short time. For power to be effectively used for long-lasting public good it must be diffused and dispersed as widely as possible,' he added.