Pakistan to discard ‘frontline state in war on terror’ tag

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has decided to do away with the phrase ‘frontline state in war against terrorism’, which is frequently used by officials to stress the country’s role in anti-terror efforts.

“Descriptions like frontline state in war against terrorism overcast the country’s positivities. Therefore, we are doing away with this phrase,” the Dawn quoted a senior security official, as saying.

He said the ‘frontline’ term was misleading and created an impression that the problem of terrorism was specific to this region- something which contradicts Pakistan’s position that it is a global phenomenon.

“We don’t want to be seen as the epicentre of terrorism any more,” he added.

Earlier, the Musharraf regime, and now the PPP government has kept flaunting Pakistan’s sacrifices in the war on terror by portraying the country as the frontline state. According to government estimates, Pakistan has lost almost 50 billion dollars over the past ten years, and thousands of civilians and security personnel have been killed or maimed for life in the quest.

However, western governments have been continuously suggesting that Pakistan has benefited from its role as the frontline state, through international aid and rescheduling of its debt.

“We are determined to get out of this paradigm of negativities,” the security official said, adding, “We intend to give a new image to the country by giving more emphasis on economic development and highlighting the country’s inherent strength.” (ANI)