No action against militants without national consensus: President Zardari

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari said Sunday that there would be no action against militants without national consensus.

Citing a speech by Chaudhry Nisar, the president said it seemed the opposition was not ready for consensus.

Addressing the SAFMA national conference on media, militancy and fair elections, President Zardari said action in Swat and other areas was taken with consensus.

Commenting on the attack on Malala Yousafzai, the president said the pain of Malala and other children who were victims of terrorism was his pain.

The president told journalists and others in attendance that his party still believed in the politics of reconciliation. “The policy of reconciliation was Benazir Bhutto’s vision, not mine.”

The president added that he had forfeited his presidential powers for the sake of democracy.

President Zardari also referred to the assassination of former Punjab Governor Salman Taseer and said no lawyer was willing to prosecute the case, but a former Chief Justice volunteered to represent the accused.