Airtimes: Indian Standard Times
Saturday, August 20 at 20:00hrs, 22:30hrs
Sunday, August 21 at 20:30hrs (replay)

This week on Talk Asia, Lorraine Hahn speaks with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz about his country’s role in the war on terror.

“First of all let me say that Pakistan is against terrorism anywhere in the world, and we abhor terrorism in every form and shape. As regards the incidents in London and Egypt, let me say that the 7/7 incidents were very unfortunate, were condemned by us, and frankly had nothing to do with Pakistan. The four people involved in that incident: three were of Asian origin and one was from Jamaica,” the Prime Minister said.

“…I have lived overseas for decades, for at least 20 years, and I used to go back several times a year - that doesn’t mean that I would go back and be brainwashed by somebody. And just walking through a seminary or visiting a seminary doesn’t convert you. Our view is that these people are a product of the local society and local culture, and it’s not for us to tell the British Government how to handle them,” he said.

The Prime Minister also believes that the best way to fight home-grown terrorism is through education and addressing social issues.

“Why do people behave in a certain way? Our view is that this stems from a feeling of neglect, deprivation, and a feeling that people don’t care about the issues of these people which they face. So we need to tackle some of the basic issues so that people feel that they have a voice. And if they feel less deprived they won’t be behaving in such an extreme way.”

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