Pakistani PM Gilani says terrorism main priority

Two senior U.S. officials visited Pakistan this week and were told the new government was determined to fight terrorism but it would adopt a new approach to be determined by parliament, as opposed to Musharraf setting policy single-handed.

Militants responsible for a wave of bombings and attacks on the security forces in recent months are based in remote ethnic Pashtun tribal areas on the Afghan border, which have been ruled under separate, colonial-era, laws from the rest of the country.

Gilani, setting out priorities for his government's first 100 days, said the tribal areas needed economic, social and political reforms and the region's separate laws would be scrapped, as human rights groups have long demanded.

ECONOMIC PROBLEMS

Last month's election was a major step in restoring civilian rule in nuclear-armed Pakistan, which has been ruled by the military for more than half its history since 1947.

Gilani, whose cabinet is due to be announced and sworn in on Monday, praised the army chief for steps to remove the military from civil affairs.

He did not mention Musharraf but said his government would "play a role" in reinstating judges Musharraf dismissed in November.

Coalition partners have pledged to reinstate the judges Musharraf sacked out of fear they would rule as unconstitutional his re-election in October by the old assembly. If reinstated, they are expected to take up legal challenges to the president.

Gilani promised clean government and said the state's anti-graft agency, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which he suggested had victimised people, would be scrapped and corruption cases handled by regular courts.