Aziz faces flak for remarks on selectively targeting militants

Pakistan National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz today faced flak from the opposition in the Senate for his remarks that there is no reason for the country to target militants who do not pose a direct threat to it.
In an interview to BBC Urdu, Aziz said that his country was not going to attack militants who do not "pose a threat to the state."
The remarks raised doubts about Pakistan's policy against militants. The statement was reminiscent of country's premier spy agency ISI's alleged distinction between the "good" and "bad" Taliban.
The opposition in Senate sought an explanation through a calling attention notice today.

Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader senator Farhatullah Babar moved a 'calling attention notice' in the Senate over the issue.
"Attention is drawn to a matter of sufficient public importance namely the Advisor's interview to the BBC on November 17, 2014 admitting the selective nature of operation against militant groups, taking on some while leaving others," the notice said.

Babar said that the statement is a reversal of the stated policy of across the board action against all militants reiterated recently also by the security establishment.
"A disturbing distinction has been made between militants challenging the state of Pakistan and those, using Pakistan's soil to launch violent operations against other states in the region," he said in the notice.

"It exposes Pakistan to the charge that it is running with the hare and hunting with the hound in the fight against militants," he said.
The notice said that, "this highly disturbing admission at the highest level of policy formulation of turning a blind eye to non-state actors bent upon destabilising foreign states through violent means is a matter of sufficient public importance and calls for urgent attention."
It is hoped that government might issue policy statement in the House to clarify the statement, it said.
Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) has already issued a statement, saying that Aziz's comments were reported out of context.

"The advisor made the statement in a historical context," the Foreign Office said.