Talks with militants within constitutional parameters: Kayani

The Pakistani military fully backs the government's move to hold peace talks with banned militant groups but these parleys must be held within constitutional parameters, army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said today.

There is an opinion that the government was forced to go in for talks with militants because of the failure of military operations but this is far from the truth, he said.

Kayani, set to retire next month after leading the army for six years, further stressed the need for strengthening democracy while addressing a passing-out parade at the Pakistan Military Academy in Abbottabad.

The 61-year-old army chief described terrorism as a "big challenge" that goes against both Pakistan's ideology and Islamic teachings.

"To deal with it, the national leadership chose the option of giving talks a chance. The Pakistan Army supports this move," he said.

"The people and the political leadership have to decide the limits for these talks...It is very important that this process leads to unity among the people and not divisions. It is necessary to find a solution to this problem within the Constitution of Pakistan."

The use of force is the last option and the army is fully prepared to exercise this option if necessary, Kayani said.

He pointed out that the army has made sacrifices in the war against terrorism and achieved key successes against militants. In this regard, he cited the 2009 operation to flush out militants from the northwestern Swat Vally when they moved to within 100 km of Islamabad.