Skip to main content

Pakistan Lifts Ban on Politics in Tribal Areas on Independence Day





By VOA News
14 August 2009
Pakistani girls wave national flags as they sing national songs during the Independence Day ceremony celebrations at the mausoleum of the country's founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi 14 Aug 2009
Pakistani girls wave national flags as they sing national songs during the Independence Day ceremony celebrations at the mausoleum of the country's founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi 14 Aug 2009
Pakistani President Asif Zardari lifted a ban on political activities in the country's tribal regions Friday, as Pakistanis held celebrations marking the country's Independence Day.

Pakistan's seven semi-autonomous tribal regions along the Afghan border have never been integrated into the country's political and administrative system, allowing militants and tribal elders to hold sway.

The change is the first major break with the system Pakistan inherited from Britain, which ruled the region until the country gained independence in 1947.

Police and security forces were on high alert during Independence Day celebrations across Pakistan to prevent militant groups from disrupting festivities.

Children in the capital of Islamabad sang songs and waved Pakistani flags. In Karachi, military officers marched in a parade while the Pakistan Naval Academy band played.

In his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said Pakistan wants peace with all of its neighbors, and he expressed hope that talks with India will progress. He also reiterated the government's resolve to defeat terrorism.





Mr. Zardari also called on the people to adhere to principles of democracy and human rights, and to defeat dictatorship and extremism to help provide economic opportunities in the country.

Also Thursday, Pakistani Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani told the Pakistan Military Academy Kakul that Islam will always be the "soul and spirit" of Pakistan. But he criticized terrorists, saying they try to impose their "narrow and distorted" version of Islam by force.

Pakistan was created after India gained independence from Britain in 1947. The subcontinent was divided into Muslim Pakistan and Hindu-dominated India.

During the partition, some 10 million people are estimated to have crossed the borders in both directions. Hundreds of thousands of people died in sectarian fighting during the partition process.

Pakistani officials in India also marked the country's independence, celebrating at the High Commission in New Delhi.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.




Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ASEAN pushes for resumption of N. Korea nuke talks

ASEAN and friends: Foreign Ministers from left, Vietnam's Pham Gia Khiem, South Korea's Kim Sung-hwan, Japan's Takeaki Matsumoto, Indonesia's Marty Natalegawa, and China's Yang Jiechi, hold hands during a group photo at the opening session of ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, Thursday. (AP/Dita Alangkara) Associated Press, Nusa Dua | Thu, 07/21/2011 2:19 PM Foreign ministers from 10 Southeast Asian nations are calling for a speedy resumption of talks aimed at convincing North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program. China, the US, Japan, South Korea and Russia had been negotiating since 2003 to persuade Pyongyang to dismantle the program in exchange for aid and other concessions. The North pulled out of the talks about two years ago after being censured for launching a long-range rocket. It has indicated a willingness in recent months to return to the table. The 10-member Association of Southeast As...
Post a Comment
Read more

Judicial watchdog to visit Antasari in prison

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 06/15/2011 9:45 PM The Judicial Commission plans to send investigators to question former Corruption Eradication Commission chief Antasari Azhar regarding his belief that the panel of judges made mistakes during his trial. “We want to hear and collect evidence from his side, if there is any, about the judges during his trial,” Suparman Marzuki, the commission’s supervisory division chief, said Wednesday as quoted by tempointeraktif.com. The Judicial Commission is in the middle of gathering evidence in response to an allegation by Antasari’s lawyer that the panel of judges took into consideration the wrong evidence during his trial. The South Jakarta District Court panel found Antasari guilty of murder and he is currently detained at Tangerang Penitentiary.
Post a Comment
Read more