Pakistan will not collapse, Zardari says

WASHINGTON, May 10 -- Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has reiterated his confidence that his country will not collapse in the increasing insurgency of the Taliban forces.

Speaking in an interview with the NBC aired on Sunday, Zardari said, "Is the state of Pakistan going to collapse? No. We are 180 million people. There the population is much, much more than the insurgents are."

Zardari made the remarks in response to the saying by some U.S. military analysts who had raised the possibility of a collapse of the Pakistani state because of the worsening situation resulted from the Taliban insurgency.

Admitting that Pakistan has "a problem" with Taliban activities inside its borders, Zardari called for joint international effort to deal with the threats of Taliban activities. "I think we need to find a strategy where the world gets together against this threat, because it's not Pakistan-specific. It's not Afghanistan-specific," he said.

"I think the world needs to understand that this is the new challenge of the 21st century, and this is the new war."

Pakistan's military intensified its campaign last week to turn back the Tablian from its moves toward Islambad, Pakistan's capital. The militants have taken control of many parts of the mountainous districts overlooking the capital.