ABBOTTABAD, Jan 12: The NWFP Governor, Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah, said on Saturday that the government was determined to weed out extremism and militancy from the society and bring to justice those who killed fellow Muslims in the name of religion.

Speaking at a function organised by the District Bar Association, Abbottabad, the governor said the days of extremism and militancy were over and the government was determined to put the society on the path envisioned by the Father of the Nation Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah - that of a modern Islamic welfare state.

He said that the lawyers formed the backbone of a judicial system and played a vital role in the dispensation of justice. The judiciary overall and the bar in particular, he said, played the key role of a watchdog to ensure that justice was done and the judicial system run properly and smoothly without any outside interference.

Pakistan, he said, stood at a crossroad and found itself at a critical juncture, facing internal and external challenges. However, the government with the support of the people was able to meet all internal and external challenges.

Recounting the government’s achievements, the governor said on the external front Pakistan had been taken out of isolation, economy had been put on right track and the international community had come to Pakistan’s support as being an important ally in the war against terrorism.

The governor said the sanctions imposed on the country had been lifted, external debts had been re-scheduled and Pakistan’s words now carried due weight in the comity of nations.

The Kashmir issue, he said, was back on the international scene and despite India’s belligerence and recalcitrance, Delhi was under pressure to resolve the issue through dialogue and not by means of war.

The governor made it clear that the hand of friendship and peace extended to India by President Musharraf should not be seen as a sign of weakness.” We want peace in the region. But we are ready to defend our motherland with all our might,” he said.

He said the government had been able to overcome rampant corruption, bring to accountability those who had looted the national wealth and introduce the district government system, devolving power to the grassroots.

Iftikhar said the government was determined to restore democracy and would not deviate from the deadline set by the Supreme Court in this regard.

Referring to the situation in Afghanistan, the governor said that it had become a breeding ground for international terrorism. As a friend of the Afghans, he said, Pakistan had continued to plead with the Taliban to heed to the international community’s demand and hand over those being accused of terrorism to stand trial and clear their name. “But they refused to listen to reason,” he said.

He said Islam abhorred violence and there was no room for extremism and militancy in the country. He said the situation had come to such a sorry pass that people were being killed outside mosques and Imambargahs. “This could not be allowed to go on. We are determined to bring to justice those responsible for killing innocent people and creating hatred and communalism,” he said.

He said with the return of peace to Afghanistan, the NWFP stood to gain more by way of trade. He said that the federal government had already allowed several items for export to Afghanistan and expressed the hope that the list of exportable items would increase further to allow the people of the province to benefit from the new situation.

He also hoped that the situation in Afghanistan would also encourage the return of Afghan refugees to their homeland. “The Afghans also need a break. The time has come for the international community to help the war-ravaged country,” he said.