*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media
(NSI News Source Info) LAHORE/KARACHI, Pakistan - December 13, 2009: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Saturday that the government was ready for launch of a military operation in Orakzai Agency if efforts for a ‘peaceful resolution’ failed. 
According to intelligence officials, paramilitary forces have been carrying out crackdowns on militants in Orakzai, said to be the base of Hakimullah Mehsud and a global hub for militant groups, for several weeks.
‘We will first try to convince elements in Orakzai to accept a peaceful resolution,’ he said, referring to proposals for a negotiated settlement made by some politicians, including Imran Khan, of the Tehrik-i-Insaaf.
(According to Reuters, the prime minister said the army had ended its offensive against the Taliban in South Waziristan and was shifting focus to Orakzai. ‘The operation has finished in South Waziristan. Now there is talk of Orakzai,’ Mr Gilani said). A spokesman later said, Mr Gilani’s remark on Waziristan were taken out of context. The prime minister made the remarks at functions in Karachi and Lahore.
Talking to journalists after presiding over a convocation of the Government College University Lahore, Mr Gilani also said the federal government was considering offering a general amnesty in Balochistan.
He said his close aides were in touch with Brahmdagh Bugti in furtherance of the government’s policy of holding talks with dissenters. He said that 89 arrested people who were not involved in ‘heinous’ crimes in Balochistan would be released soon. 
Pakistan paramilitary soldiers stand beside weapons and ammunitions confiscated from militants during an operation in the Bara area, while displaying them for media in Bara, the main town of Pakistan's troubled tribal region Khyber along the Afghan border, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009. Pakistani security forces are battling Taliban fighters and other militants group in rugged northwest regions bordering with Afghanistan.
The prime minister said the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (NCTA) had been set up to curb militancy. The authority, he added, would gather intelligence and share it with federal and provincial governments.
He said the strategy was aimed at uniting all intelligence and law-enforcement agencies and the interior ministry had already submitted a summary to the PM’s Secretariat in this regard.
‘We want to strengthen capacity of the provinces and the federal government,’ the prime minister said, adding that authorities like NCTA were working in several developed countries, including the United States, Britain and France.
Mr Gilani said he had raised the issue of Indian involvement in Balochistan with New Delhi, adding that the question of an Indian hand in terrorist acts elsewhere in the country would be taken up at appropriate forums after thorough investigations. 
This frame grab image taken from a video issued by al-Sahab, al-Qaida's media branch and provided by IntelCenter shows a video statement from Adam Gadahn the new English-language video Saturday Dec. 12, 2009 denied it was behind a series of bombings in Pakistan that have killed hundreds of civilians, calling such attacks un-Islamic.
In reply to a question about the accord on the National Finance Commission award, Mr Gilani said: ‘Difficult tasks can be accomplished only by democratic forces, and not by dictators.’ He said the committee on constitutional reforms would soon take a decision about repeal of the 17th Amendment.
‘We are committed to doing away with this controversial amendment and implementing the Charter of Democracy.’ Mr Gilani stressed that parliament should be made so powerful that nobody dare play with or deface the Constitution. ‘There is a dire need to strengthen institutions, not the prime minister.’
'Nobody is above the law,' Mr Gilani said in reply to a question about alleged violation of Pakistani law by foreign diplomats.
The prime minister said terrorists were trying to stall development, but the government was determined to maintain peace and harmony.
The government, he added, could achieve this goal with the support of the academia and youth. ‘Stand by the government and safeguard Pakistan’ was his message to them. BOOK LAUNCH Mr Gilani praised the armed forces for undertaking rehabilitation of millions of people in Malakand division after the military operation.
Talking to journalists after the launch of Khushbakht Shujaat’s book, Farozan Chehray, at the Governor’s House in Karachi, the premier said: ‘The security forces have set an example by organizing resettlement of millions of people in 10 weeks.’ About an expected cabinet reshuffle, he said it was a routine matter.
He said a counter-terror mechanism would be set up to provide ‘actionable information’ to provinces and other government agencies.
In reply to a question about NFC award, he said it was ‘a big achievement of the political government and will go a long way in ameliorating the lot of the people’. He also maintained that elections in Gilgit-Baltistan were a big step forward while the Balochistan package would banish the sense of deprivation.
Earlier the prime minister paid tributes to Khushbakht Shujaat for her book and announced Rs 10 million for Anjuman-i-Taraqi-i-Urdu.
The Sindh governor, the chief minister, Jamiluddin Ali, Dr Farooq Sattar, Pirzada Qasim, Hasan Zaheer and Aftab Ahmad Khan also spoke on the occasion.
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