Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday attributed Pakistan’s ongoing security challenges to past policies of fostering ties with the Taliban, urging the nation to identify and confront “enemies disguised as friends,” Aaj News reported.
Speaking at a security meeting in Quetta, the prime minister issued a stark warning that Pakistan’s progress would come to a standstill if terrorism is not eradicated.
The meeting was convened in the wake of the devastating Jaffar Express attack, which left the nation in mourning.
PM Sharif expressed profound grief over the incident, condemning the terrorists for holding unarmed passengers hostage and executing them in cold blood.
“The entire nation is mourning this tragedy,” he said, emphasizing the need for unity and decisive action against terrorism.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier arrived in Quetta on a day-long visit after a terrorist attack involving the hijacking of an express train in Balochistan province.
He was received by Chief Minister Balochistan Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, as per Radio Pakistan.
PM Shehbaz’s visit comes after terrorists attacked Jaffar Express train in Balochistan and killed 21 passengers and 4 Frontier Corps (FC).
On Tuesday, terrorists blew up a railway track and opened fire on Jaffar Express, taking dozens of hostages and battling security forces conducting a rescue operation.
Moreover, terrorists had positioned suicide bombers next to some innocent hostages using them as human shield.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a terrorist organisation in Pakistan, said it blew up the tracks and “swiftly took control of the train”.
The BLA had threatened to start killing hostages if authorities missed a 48-hour deadline to release Baloch political prisoners, activists, and missing people it claimed had been arrested by the military.
However, in an operation, the security forces killed all 33 terrorists and rescued all the hostages.
“346 hostages were freed and over 30 terrorists were killed during the operation,” an army official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
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