ISLAMABAD, Oct 21: President Asif Ali Zardari said on Tuesday that the political and civilian leadership fully supported the military in the fight against terror.

“The fight against militants and insurgents cannot be left to the military and security agencies, but will have to be taken over and its ownership assumed by the civilian and elected political leadership,” he said.

He was presiding over a meeting at the presidency to take stock of the situation in Fata and the NWFP. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was also present. Mr Zardari said the struggle against militancy was part of a larger struggle for saving the country and to preserve its federal and democratic structure.

“That is why the government has embarked on the three Ds strategy — dialogue, development and deterrence — to root out the menace.”

“This is a total fight which has to be fought not just on one front, but on many fronts and in totality,” he said.

The president said the political and civilian leadership in the past had successfully confronted militancy in parts of the country and, drawing lessons from that experience, he was determined to carry out the ongoing fight against militancy to its logical conclusion.

He said that similar meetings would be held every month to monitor the progress made and the difficulties encountered.

The government, he said, had placed the issue before the joint session to give its ownership to elected representatives of people across the political divide.

Similar briefings had been held in the past by the military leadership and by intelligence agencies, he recalled.

The president said, however, the government wanted to enlarge the consultative process by inviting representatives from Fata and the NWFP government.

He accepted a proposal of Law Minister Farooq H. Naek to consider making special regulations under Article 247(5) of the Constitution for “peace and good governance” in Fata and Pata.

The law minister briefed the meeting about the progress made by a committee set up to suggest amendments to the Frontier Crimes Regulations.

Mr Zardari said that another meeting would be held soon to review the situation in Balochistan from the perspective of stakeholders and political leaders of that province.

The briefing was attended, among them, by NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti, Adviser to the PM Rehman Malik, Information Minister Sherry Rehman and Minister for Environment Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi.