Italy and Pakistan must coalesce to fight terrorism

(AGI) Rome, Nov 24 - Italy and Pakistan have a long-standingrelationship based on mutual trust. However, reiterated AshtarAusaf Ali, Minister of State and Special Assistant to the PrimeMinister Nawaz Sharif on Law on Tuesday, this alliance must notonly concern trade and investments but should be extended tothe fight against terrorism, the migration emergency, which aredramas that Islamabad has been witnessing for years and onwhich it is ready to share its experience. Ashtar Ausaf Ali wasone of the leaders of the political movement that drove formerPresident Pervez Musharaf to resign in 2007. "We've longknown 'Paris-style attacks'. We've seen Paris in Karachi,Lahore and Peshawar. We've seen children slaughtered andcontinuous piecemeal attacks. However, we don't only want toshare our despair and angst but also our experience," AshtarAusaf Ali told AGI, the Italian news agency, on Tuesday. Aneminent lawyer and one of Sharif's most loyal allies, AshtarAusaf Ali told Italian authorities that there are two possiblelines of action to follow in the fight against terrorism:"Directly, through the use of force, going straight to thesource by cutting funding, arresting these people and bringingthem to justice. Then there is an indirect way: combating evil,although we must first understand what evil is. It is despairand social inequality." He went on: "We therefore must improveliving standards, teach values, share our common values andthose of Islam and Christianity, which are the same. This iswhere the answer lies...Combating terrorism also means sharinginformation and intelligence". Mr Ali continued: "When youhave a common enemy, it is necessary to identify him and, oncehe is identified, negotiate with him. If we have information ona fake company established in a given country, we must sharethis information. All this happened because we have stoppedtalking and visiting each other. Emails and telephone calls arenot enough. We need bilateral dialogue; this is the answer. InRome I met with several representatives of ministries and ofConfindustria (the Italian employers' association). I wasimpressed by the transparency of the dialogue and the commonwill to go forward from traditional trade to a higher level.So, not only trade but mostly bilateral relations." Pakistan can also offer its experience on the issue ofmigration. Referring to negotiations with the EU on therepatriation of Pakistani citizens, an issue that is stillbeing negotiated by Islamabad and Brussels, Mr Ali said: "Wehave been the destination of two million Afghans over at least25 years. We didn't ask for help from anybody. We didn't talkabout it; we just acted. We welcomed people in distress andthis is now becoming a global phenomenon." . .