Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said the nation was united in its resolve to eradicate terrorism from the country, and the government would take all measures to crush violence perpetrated from across the border.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif issued a similar warning in the National Assembly about going after terrorist facilitators “wherever they are”.
The government’s warning came a day after a lieutenant colonel and a major, among 11 security personnel, were martyred in an exchange of fire with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan terrorist group in the Orakzai district.
In his opening remarks during today’s federal cabinet meeting, PM Shehbaz paid tribute to army officers and soldiers involved in conducting operations against terrorists.
He said facilitators were protecting terrorists who were coming from across the border. The premier stressed that the situation had reached a critical point and terrorists would not be spared.
PM Shehbaz added that the government’s achievements on the economic and diplomatic fronts would come to naught if terrorism was not eliminated.
Meanwhile, Asif thundered that “enough is enough” and the facilitators of terrorism would have to pay, whether they were present on Pakistani or Afghan soil.
Asif reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve to defend its territory and defeat terrorism through unity, determination.
He said that the issue of terrorism required a united approach beyond political or regional divisions. “Our focus should be on how to eliminate this menace of terrorism once and for all,’’ Asif added.
Expressing grief over the martyrdom of two officers and nine soldiers, Asif said their sacrifices called for national unity and collective resolve.
Recalling his visit to Afghanistan three years ago, the defence minister said he had raised the issue of cross-border terrorism directly with Afghan authorities. “We candidly told them that their soil was being used for terrorist activities in Pakistan,’’ he said.
The minister said Pakistan had urged Afghanistan to control the militants and dismantle their sanctuaries. ‘‘We asked them to shut down the safe havens and stop providing shelter or support to these groups.’’
The defence minister added that Afghan officials had demanded financial assistance, claiming that with such aid, they could relocate these groups to western provinces away from Pakistan’s border.
However, he said Pakistan had sought a firm guarantee that these militants would not return, a condition the Afghan authorities were unwilling to accept. ‘‘Due to the absence of that assurance, the proposal could not be finalized,’’ he added.
Asif also proposed urgent diplomatic action to curb cross-border terrorism, suggesting that a delegation be sent to Kabul within the next day or two to press Afghan authorities to dismantle safe havens being used against Pakistan.
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