Islamabad, Jul 8: Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan president accepted that terrorists were 'created and nutrured' in Pakistan in order to achieve some short-term tactical objectives and but also admitted that terrorists of today were the heroes of past until Mumbai terror attacks in India on November 2008.

Zardari said, "Militants and extremists emerged on the national scene and challenged the state not because the civil bureaucracy was weakened and demoralised, but because they were deliberately created and nurtured as a policy to achieve some short-term tactical objectives."

Zardari also said, "Let us be truthful to ourselves and make a candid admission of the realities, The terrorists of today were the heroes of yesteryears until 9/11 occurred and they began to haunt us as well."

Naming Pakistan as a frontline state in the war against terrorism, Zardari said, " I have taken charge at a difficult time and will come up to the challenges the country is facing."

These remarks came after his comments saying that Pakistan Army would even target militants it had backed in the past for use as proxy force against India.

He also said, "Dialogue is our most powerful weapon...we defeated a dictator through the power of dialogue and we intend to continue holding dialogue to resolve various issues confronting Pakistan."

OneIndia News