Lahore: President Pervez Musharraf today said that foreign militants with links to al-Qaeda, especially from Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, are hiding in Pakistan's tribal belt and mountainous areas and carrying out terrorist activities within the country.

These foreign elements provide resources for terrorist activities while the Taliban also facilitate terrorist acts as they have links with these foreigners, he told a function at the National Management College here.

Pakistan does not have offensive designs against any one and is at peace, which is the country's strength, Musharraf said.

However, the country is facing internal security threats emanating from terrorism and extremism, he said.

Another major threat, he observed, is the spread of Talibanisation beyond Pakistan's tribal areas to the Swat valley and southern parts of the North West Frontier Province.

In Balochistan province, there are elements like the Baloch Liberation Army that have separatist tendencies. However, separatism will never be allowed, he added.

Extremism within the society is hampering the country s development, he said and pointed out that the custodians of the Lal Masjid in Islamabad had tried to impose their will on the masses through force.

"We have to chalk out a long-term strategy to address these grave problems," he said.

The government had tried to settle the Balochistan issue politically and through socio-economic development. Mega development projects had been undertaken in the province to ensure the welfare and prosperity of its people, he said.

Source : PTI