Islamabad, Oct 13 (IANS): Pakistan needs a zero-tolerance policy towards militancy and the "first step must be taken by the men in uniform", said a leading daily Saturday.
An editorial in the Dawn said that strong words from the army at a time of intense emotions over the attack on 14-year-old peace campaigner Malala Yousufzai are an "important addition to the national revulsion at the Taliban and the way of life they seek to impose on Pakistan".
Malala was shot at Tuesday by the Taliban when she was returning home from school in the country's northwest, sparking outrage across the country. She was operated upon and is presently recuperating at a hospital in Rawalpindi.
Calling for implementation of a clear strategy against militancy, the daily said that at a meeting of the senior-most officers of the armed forces convened by Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Shameem Wyne Thursday, the armed forces did try and lay down a marker against the Taliban.
"In tone and tenor, it was in keeping with the straight talk of (army chief) General Kayani Aug 14 and will help dispel some of the propaganda being spread by those sympathetic to the Taliban and their cause," it added.
The editorial, however, noted that the "strongest of words will not substitute for meaningful policy".
"And policy will never be meaningful until a fundamental decision is taken: a zero-tolerance policy towards militancy. Only from that starting point will a clear and coherent strategy emerge and only from there can we have a chance of definitively rescuing Pakistan from the grip of militancy and the non-violent extremism that creates an enabling environment for violent action," it said.
The daily pointed out that too much attention is paid to the details sometimes which have "the unfortunate effect of detracting from a core understanding: until Pakistan adopts a zero-tolerance policy towards violent militancy and its superficially non-violent extremist counterpart, the country will slip deeper and deeper into the vortex of instability and insecurity".
It went on to say that given the "unfortunate political history" of Pakistan, the idea that a zero-tolerance policy towards militancy is state policy can only come if the military lays down that marker.
"Through its actions it must make it clear to its civilian counterparts and the public that the stated policy is in fact the actual policy.
"Of course, when it comes to rolling back the infrastructure of jihad, the armed forces will need the civilian leadership to exhibit courage and leadership too. But the first step must be taken by the men in uniform," the daily added.