http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/Opinion.asp?ArticleID=108022 "Farhan Bokhari: Pakistan must curb poverty in order to tackle militancy"
| Special to Gulf News
| 15-01-2004
OPINION Snippet: "Pakistan's decision this week to toughen punishment against terror financiers is an appropriate measure, but one which is open to criticism for being a bit too late in the day.
More than two years after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, it is only now the maximum jail term for offenders has been raised to 10 years from five. Caught in the centre of the proverbial storm for its geographical location next to Afghanistan, Pakistan cannot afford to ever be complacent.
The tougher penalties which coincided with the arrest of nine suspects for plotting the recent assassination attempts against General Pervez Musharraf, the military ruler, came as a powerful reminder of the continued challenge faced by Pakistan in moving convincingly out of its reputation of being a hub for terrorist activities.
Musharraf's decision to join the US-led war on terror after 9/11 may have helped him to avoid getting Pakistan caught in the line of Washington's fire. But such a first step still leaves behind multiple questions over setting a new direction for Pakistan's medium to long term future."