Islamabad: Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has ordered a crackdown on religious extremism and militancy in the country, reiterating the government's determination to curb terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
Chairing a high-level meeting to review law and order in the country, Musharraf directed the provincial governments to ensure law and order by any means necessary, adding that the federal government would support them in this regard, the Daily Times reported on Saturday.
Musharraf's remarks coincided with conclusion of Operation Silence against against the militants in the Lal Masjid, which left 102 people, including firebrand cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi, killed.
Interior Minister Abtab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said authorities have identified four-five bodies, who could be militants, adding that 10 out of 75 bodies recovered from inside the mosque compound have also been identified.
"The provincial law enforcement and intelligence agencies should coordinate closely with each other to combat militancy in the tribal and settled areas of NWFP," President Musharraf told the meeting.
Musharraf also approved a plan for the immediate deployment of paramilitary forces to the troubled northwestern Swat valley to crush the growing militancy in the area.
He directed armed forces personnel not to wear their uniforms in public in the NWFP for fear of backlash from the Lal Masjid operation.
He said the federal law enforcement agencies would execute and monitor all military operations in NWFP and tribal areas and the NWFP government would only assist them.
The president also asked the government to take sweeping steps, otherwise tragedies like Lal Masjid would continue to take place. "We have to crush extremism and militants with full force as they are venom for our society,"he said.
He praised the professionalism of the armed forces and said they exercised extreme restraint, resulting in them suffering greater casualties than were necessary during the operation. He also directed immediate steps to be taken for the restoration of Lal Masjid.
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