Zardari blames Islamabad for extremism

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 8 (UPI) -- Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari says extremism and militancy in his country originated from the government itself.

Speaking before senior bureaucrats and retired federal secretaries, Zardari said the government's attempts to attain tactical goals were to blame for the advent of such issues throughout the country, Thaindia News said Wednesday.

"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 demoralized, but because they were deliberately created and nurtured as a policy to achieve some short-term tactical objectives," the president said Tuesday.

Thaindia News, citing an Asian News International report, said Zardari also called for an end to political conflict in Pakistan so the government could focus on militant groups like the Taliban.

"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," the president said.