QUETTA: While Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa has announced that Indepen­dence Day will be celebrated with zeal and fervour to honour the martyrs of Saturday night’s bomb attack in Quetta, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal claimed that the terrorists carrying out attacks in Pakistan belong to ‘another country’.

Gen Bajwa, who arrived in the Balochistan capital on Sunday, visited the Combined Military Hospital and enquired after the health of the people, including security personnel, injured in the suicide attack at Pishin Stop, according to the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The army chief said the fight against terrorism would continue till restoration of peace and urged all state institutions to cooperate with each other to defeat terrorists. “Such terrorist attacks cannot force us to bow down before terrorism,” he said, adding that enemies would be defeated as the entire nation was united against terrorists.

Interior minister assures provinces of Centre’s cooperation in fight against terrorism

According to the ISPR, Gen Bajwa was also briefed at the Southern Command Headquarters by senior military officials on Saturday night’s suicide attack on security forces as well as the overall security situation in Balochistan.

The army chief also attended funeral prayers of the martyrs, along with Balochistan Governor Muhammad Khan Achakzai, Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri, Ahsan Iqbal, Commander Southern Command Lt Gen Aamir Riaz, Home Minister Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti, senior military and civilian officials.

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference after attending a high-level security meeting at the Chief Minister House in Quetta, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal claimed that the terrorists carrying out attacks in Pakistan were coming from ‘another country’ and “our security agencies are chasing these elements and their facilitators across the country”.

Accompanied by CM Sanaullah Zehri, Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti and Home Secretary Dr Akbar Harifal, he said the military operations had broken the backbone of terrorist organisations and soon the remaining subversives would be eliminated with the help and cooperation of people.

Terrorists would not be allowed to continue their activities and they would be chased in every nock and corner of the country, Ahsan Iqbal said, and called upon political forces, including opposition parties, to forge unity in the fight against terrorists.

“All political forces and people should shun their differences on political, religious, sectarian and economic grounds and get united against terrorists so that they could be defeated,” Mr Iqbal said, adding: “Without peace and security, there is no concept of economic development.”

He urged the nation to frustrate the designs of all those elements which were creating and highlighting disputes and discord in society under the cover of issues and problems. “We have to frustrate the designs of unwanted persons out to divide the people on issues and problems,” the minister said. Such elements are virtually weakening the country, he added.

Mr Iqbal said the government and its allies had taken a firm stand since 2013 against terrorism and fought terrorists back so that they could not weaken the country. “The fight is continuing with significant gains and the terrorists are suffering serious setbacks or their back has been broken significantly.”

He said the federal government would continue its unconditional cooperation with the provincial governments in defeating terrorism. “We can win the war by forging unity and fighting terrorists with a unified force. The enemy is cunning and we have to defeat terrorists by forging unity.”

The minister said the elements trying to break the grand alliance or unity at this hour were not sincere and loyal to the country and its people, adding that the government had achieved many successes over the past four years while fighting terrorism.

“At that time we were facing four major challenges in the country – targeted killings, daylight robberies, kidnapping for ransom and above all terrorism. The government won significant ground in three areas – targeted killings, robberies and kidnapping for ransom – and the fight against terrorism is continuing,” the minister said.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2017