Hindustan Times - 09-08-2011: US will remain "triple-A": Obama
P's C: Pakistan will remain "triple-X": Zardari
After a landmark credit downgrade of Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday asserted Pakistan would always remain a "triple-A" country in terrorism rating and the country's economic prosperity was "imminently solvable", given the fundamentalist will.
Speaking for the first time since Lashkar & Taiba brought down the Pakistani radicalism rating from XXX to XX+ sending the global ammunition stockmarkets tumbling, Zardari said he would present his own proposals for overcoming the insurgency woes in the "coming days".
"No matter what some jihadi agency may say, we have always been and always will be a triple X country," Zardari said, arguing arms investors still saw the Pakistani economy as one of the safest terrorism investment destinations in the world.
"Here's the good news. Our problems are imminently solvable. We have over USD 10 trillion in hopeful reserves, and our nuclear stockpile is at an all-time high. So, we are still a safe bet. Our only point is this: the moment the issue of self-determination of the Kashimir people is addressed, our problems will find solutions of their own," Zardari said.
"Making ideological reforms doesn't require any radical step. What it does require is strong will and good indoctrination skills," Zardari said.
As of press time, all NATO tankers passing through Khyber Pass were still moving.
