Terrorism will be controlled using all resources, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Friday while addressing an apex committee meeting in Peshawar taking place following the horrific suicide bombing in the city that claimed the lives of more than 100 people.
The meeting is taking place at Governor House. In the meeting, which is being held after 15 months, the Peshawar corps commander, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa IG and chiefs of other institutions are taking part.
Key decisions are expected to be taken over the law and order situation and terrorism following the tragedy in the provincial capital.
The premier started his address with an acknowledgement of the devastation from the recent attack at a mosque inside highly sensitive police headquarters Police Lines in Peshawar. Research showed it was one of the deadliest terrorism-related incidents in the country’s history where the death toll has crossed triple digits.
The attack took place during afternoon worship. An entire wall and some of its roof was blown out. Bloodied survivors emerged limping from the wreckage, while bodies were ferried away in ambulances.
“It is a sad incident after the APS incident,” the premier said.
“We have to accept the facts, the whole nation is in shame. How did this incident happen after the complete end of terrorism a few years ago? The whole nation is thinking [about] how to control this evil in future,” he went on.
The drastic security breach in Peshawar came on the day United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had been due to visit Islamabad, although the trip was cancelled at the last minute due to bad weather.
The security situation in Pakistan has deteriorated since the return of the Afghan Taliban in Kabul. Islamabad has accused the new rulers of failing to secure their mountainous border, allowing militants to travel back and forth without being detected.
The police headquarters in Peshawar is in one of the most tightly controlled areas of the city, housing intelligence and counter-terrorism bureaus, and is next door to the regional secretariat.
‘Unwarranted accusations on social media over Peshawar blast unfortunate’
Unwarranted accusations and criticism on social media about the Peshawar incident was unfortunate, the premier said.
“Investigation will take place into the security lapse but to say that it was a drone attack or something else is very inappropriate,” he said.
He called for the federation and provinces should fight the terrorists in the country together. “All the political and religious parties should forget their differences and fight the terrorists,” he said, vowing to utilise all the country’s resources to eradicate terrorism.
PTI skips meeting
Former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) minister Shaukat Yousufzai had told Geo News that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had received the invitation for the meeting, however, they would be skipping the huddle.
“We cannot sit with those who are taking vengeful acts against us,” said Yousufzai.
The former KP minister said that the “on one side, there were bodies of the martyrs” and on the other side the federal government was asking the PTI details about the Rs417 billion dispersed to it to fight terror.
Yousufzai also alleged that the federal government had stopped giving the fund to the KP government, adding that the government was not serious.
