ISLAMABAD: With the increasing incidents of terror attacks in the country, especially the Monday’s ghastly suicide blast in Peshawar which left 100 dead, the Minister for Defence, Khawaja Asif, on Tuesday called for national consensus – like the one reached for operation Zarb-e-Azb – to eradicate terrorism.
The Monday’s suicide blast at a mosque in Peshawar that claimed 100 lives while left at least 225 wounded has raised alarm among officials over a major security breach at a time when the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – the notorious militant group in the country – has stepped up attacks, particularly targeting the police and the military.
Speaking in National Assembly, the defence minister said that the TTP is carrying out the terror attacks in the country as they are operating from neighbouring Afghanistan. He demanded the Afghan Taliban to take action against them.
He said that the National Security Committee (NSC) will decide on an operation to eliminate terrorists in the country, adding all the political forces should get united against the terrorists who are targeting not a sect or any particular segment of society but the entire nation.
“There is a need to create a consensus like that of Zarb-e-Azb when we launched an operation against the terrorists and wiped them out. This time again, we needed such an operation to get rid of militancy. I hope the prime minister would take a step in this direction,” he added.
He said that internal differences were posing serious threats to the country, adding “we must put our own house in order first to get rid of the militancy and the menace of terrorism”.
“Soul searching and self-accountability have become imperative due to our own follies and blunders as the seeds of terrorism were sown during the dictatorial tenures,” he added.
Terming the suicide bombing in Peshawar no less a tragedy than the 2014 Army Public School massacre, he said that a similar consensus was needed today as politicians from all parties were on the same page. He continued that the country had already endured over $126 billion in economic losses and 83,000 people including armed forces personnel, police officials, and others martyred but the world did not acknowledge our sacrifices.
He said that Pakistan fought a deadly war against terrorism from 2008 to 2013 and lost many precious lives. “Two years ago, we were briefed that we can talk to these people (the terrorists)…later, they were allowed to settle in the country,” he regretted.
He said that over 450,000 Afghans had been settled in Pakistan after crossing the Pak-Afghan border on valid documents, adding they did not return to their country and had now occupied transport business in Pakistan.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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