Pakistan threatened by 'non-state actors': Zardari

Under attack from the global community for its inability in containing terrorism emanating from its soil, Pakistan on Monday said the country is not threatened by nations but by the "non-state actors" and sought China's help in eradicating the menace.

President Asif Ali Zardari, who is in China on a visit, said Pakistan won't allow "noxious fumes" of this dangerous "non-state actors" ideology to spread to other nations in the region.
       
"Pakistan is fighting terrorists not only for its own sake but for the entire region. We are determined not to allow the noxious fumes of this dangerous phenomenon and ideology to spread to other countries," Zardari said.
       
Zardari said the world, including the super powers, is facing challenges from the non-state actors who are bent upon damaging the world peace.

"We are not threatened by nations but by the non-state actors," Zardari said, addressing Shanghai-based think tanks.
       
He said the emergence of these elements was a new phenomenon as they have nothing to lose but everything to damage.
       
Beijing has been exerting pressure on Islamabad to rein in terrorism emanating from its territory into China's restive northern Xinjiang region where Islamic Uygur militants are seeking independence from the country.
       
As Pakistan grapples with the threat of terrorism, China can help in this area too, Zardari said.

Zardari said thousands of Pakistani citizens, civilian and military, have laid down their lives in this endeavor, adding that terrorists also specifically targeted some of the Chinese friends who were working in Pakistan to drive a wedge
between the two countries and people.

"The sacrifice of these Chinese citizens for Pakistan's cause is an abiding reminder to us Pakistanis of China's friendship with our country," he said.

He said Pakistan and China were intertwined as far as security and international politics are concerned and Pakistan has always supported China at all international fora on various issues.
 
Though there was no indication that China will offer fresh aid to its "all weather" ally Pakistan in the face of the financial crisis faced by the country, Zardari said Islamabad was ready to extend any help to Beijing on energy supply routes.

Zardari also offered China for using Pakistan's seaports along the Arabian Sea for efficient trade activities and said Islamabad can also help channel the energy supplies from Gulf to China.
 
In his article published in China Daily newspaper, president Zardari said after the world emerges out of economic recession and Beijing resumes its breakneck growth, the Chinese ports could get clogged for which Pakistan's seaports could be a sound option.

"Given proper infrastructure, the Pakistani ports of Karachi, Port Qasim and Gwadar are nearer to the Chinese heartland than Shanghai and Hong Kong," the president said.

He also said once Pakistan gets its economic fundamentals right, it could prove as a useful economic partner, a significant market and a profitable destination for investment.
 
Zardari said China's trade with many of its neighbours was increasing at a dizzying pace and Pakistan also needed to join this trend.

"I believe there is great potential for improvement in this vital area," he said.