Pakistan's Zardari strikes defiant tone

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 1 (UPI) -- The resolve of the democratically elected government in Pakistan to fight terrorists is greatly underestimated, the Pakistani president said Monday.

Washington encouraged Pakistan to take responsibility for its internal security as U.S. war planners began to roll out their new strategy for Afghanistan in 2009. Pakistani forces responded in October with a unilateral offensive in the tribal provinces along the volatile Afghan border.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in a Monday column in London's Guardian newspaper stressed that his country was determined to stand and fight.

"Terrorists do not want Pakistan to succeed," he writes. "They want to distract us from preparing for a stable and prosperous future."

Islamabad has continued its military assault in the tribal provinces into 2010. Zardari said the so-called war on terror has cost his country in terms of blood, money and political capital.

"But we are fighting for our lives and Pakistan's policies cannot be based solely on what is popular," he said.

He stressed that his country aims to build a new Pakistan that focuses on strong international alliances, a functioning society and a vibrant economy.

"Those who are counting on Pakistan to back off the fight -- militarily and economically -- underestimate my country and me," he said.