Beijing urged to do more

Capacity building, reconstruction, poverty-relief and intelligence exchange are the areas in which China and the SCO can help, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told China Daily on October 15.

Gilani, who became the Pakistani prime minister in March 2008, also called for more help from China in intelligence work.

"There should be more exchange of intelligence and information between the two countries," the 57-year-old said.

Islamabad started a major anti-terror mission in the Swat Valley region in northern Pakistan in May.

Even though the mission claimed some significant achievements, such as the killing of former Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud in August, some major cities in the area have seen a rise in terror attacks.

Militants yesterday launched several attacks on police, in Lahore in the Pakistani heartland and in the troubled northwest, killing 24 people.

"One thing I will show you (that) we have the ability, we have the will to fight against terrorism," Gilani said. He stressed anti-terrorism was his "priority number one".

Gilani said the death of Mehsud signaled a "new thrust" for his government's effort.

"The SCO can play an extremely important role in combating terrorism and extremism," Gilani added.

The SCO - whose members include China, Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan - had its eighth prime ministers' meeting in Beijing on Wednesday.

Story: Zhang Haizhou

Video: Yu Chenkang & Lou Yi