Greatest threat to democracy from militancy: Zardari
September 15th, 2011 - 1:08 pm ICT by IANSIslamabad, Sep 15 (IANS) The greatest threat to democracy is from “militants who want to foist their political agenda on the people”, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said Thursday.
In a message on the occasion of International Democracy Day, Zardari called for defeating militancy and extremism and to advance democratic values.
“The greatest threat to democracy is from the extremists and militants who want to foist their political agenda on the people by bullet rather than ballot and also from intolerance to dissent and disagreement,” Associated Press of Pakistan quoted him as saying.
“Let us on this day pledge to fight the dark forces of militancy and extremism and allow the blossoming of democratic culture in the country,” Zardari said.
He said that despite setbacks to democracy “our people have not allowed dictatorship to take roots in the country”.
He added: “Our march on the road to democracy continues. During the year 2011 democracy took yet another stride forward in Pakistan when the people of tribal areas were given their democratic rights with consensus.”
- Democracy, inter-faith harmony key to eradicate "dark clouds" of South Asian militancy: Zardari - Sep 22, 2010
- Zardari asks world to help Pakistan's democracy - Nov 19, 2011
- Militancy poses a direct threat to Pak democracy: Zardari - Feb 18, 2009
- Zardari calls for global effort against terror - Jun 26, 2011
- Jinnah's 62nd death anniversary observed in Pakistan - Sep 11, 2010
- Pak won't allow terrorists to use its soil for spreading extremism, says Zardari - Nov 08, 2010
- Clinton meets Zardari, discusses drone attacks - Jul 19, 2010
- Respect ballot's power to effect change: Zardari, Gilani - Dec 25, 2011
- 'What kind of Pakistan do Pakistanis want?' - Jan 13, 2012
- PPP will never let democracy derail in Pak, says Zardari - Feb 28, 2011
- Osama assault wasn't joint operation, admits Zardari - May 03, 2011
- Failure against Taliban, Qaeda in Pak will spread terror across continents: Zardari - Jun 22, 2009
- US says Pak safe havens for terror groups pose 'intolerable threat' to it - Jul 26, 2010
- Bhatti's murder "a new low point" in Pak's struggle against religious extremism: UK - Mar 03, 2011
- Mumbai attack undermined peace efforts: Zardari - Nov 08, 2010
Tags: asif ali zardari, consensus, dark forces, democratic culture, democratic rights, democratic values, dictatorship, disagreement, dissent, extremism, extremists, international democracy, pakistan, pledge, political agenda, roots, setbacks, tribal areas