Army to fight every terrorist targeting Pakistan, its guests: Gen Munir

ISLAMABAD: Strongly reacting to the recent Shangla terrorist attack, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Syed Asim Munir vowed on Wednesday that the Pakistan Army shall “fight terrorism till every terrorist casting an evil eye on Pakistan, its people and their guests, is eliminated”.

Gen Munir reiterated the resolve of armed forces to eliminate the scourge of terrorism afflicting the country during an emergency meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the aftermath of terrorist attack in Besham area of

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Shangla district on Chinese nationals working on Dasu hydel power project, read a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.

The Army chief said the nation had steadfastly fought the war on terror for the last two decades and had defeated the nefarious designs of Pakistan’s adversaries.

Noting the recent surge in terrorist incidents, Gen Munir remarked that the enemies of Pakistan had once again “underestimated the resilience and grit of the state and the people of Pakistan”.

“We shall fight terrorism till every terrorist casting an evil eye on Pakistan, its people and their guests, is eliminated; we shall not leave any stone unturned to ensure that every foreign citizen, especially the Chinese nationals, contributing to the prosperity of Pakistan, is safe and secure in Pakistan. We shall fight terrorism with all our might, to the very end,” he added.

The high-level meeting was also attended by federal ministers, chief ministers, chief secretaries and inspectors general of police to discuss the heinous attack on innocent people working on a development project, meant to contribute to energy and water security of Pakistan.

PM Shehbaz offered deepest condolences to the families of the innocent victims of the attack and assured them that the perpetrators of this barbaric act would be brought to justice swiftly.

He underscored the enduring bond of brotherhood between the people of Pakistan and China and conveyed that the whole nation was saddened by the loss of Chinese lives.

He also appreciated the alacrity with which law enforcement agencies and locals responded to the attack, saving many precious lives which could have been lost. He instructed for conducting a thorough joint investigation, utilising all resources of the state.

“Terrorism is a trans-national threat that has been instrumentalised by the enemies of Pakistan to stymie the country’s progress and development. The acts targeting Pakistan-China friendship are particularly aimed at creating mistrust between the two iron brothers,” the Prime Minister said.

Participants of the meeting expressed resolute commitment to completely root out terrorism from the country. They also expressed serious concerns over sanctuaries available to terrorists across the borders and emphasised the need for a regional approach to counter terrorism.

The session concluded with the participants reiterating the resolve to comprehensively combat terrorism employing all resources available to the state.