Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Saturday assailed the PTI-led KP government for “facilitating terrorists, sowing division, and undermining national security,” stressing that the sacrifices of Pakistanis in the fight against terrorism will not be in vain.
The information minister’s remarks come a day after the spokesperson for the military’s media wing, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, without naming anyone, said[1] the “state and its people will not and cannot be left to the whims of a single person deemed most responsible for bringing terrorism back to KP.”
“In the past week alone, there have been several terrorist attacks which were bravely and courageously repelled by officers and soldiers of the Pakistan Army,” Tarar said.
Referring to PTI, he said there remains only one party — “Tehreek-i-Inteshaar” (movement of chaos) — which has no regard for the sacrifices of martyrs or the country’s integrity, and is only interested in dividing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, worsening the situation, and creating safe havens for terrorists in the province.
“This is not a story of today,” the minister continued. “For decades, Imran Khan and his party have followed this pattern, showing sympathy for terrorists at the local, regional, and even international levels, and acting as their facilitators.”
He said the nation had sacrificed immensely in its fight against terrorism, adding that Pakistan is the only country whose children have also laid down their lives.
“How can we forget the students of the APS Peshawar attack[2] — those children who wrote a legendary chapter of sacrifice in blood, a story that will live forever in history? How can we forget the children recently martyred in Khuzdar[3], those attacked on a bus? How can we forget their sacrifices?” he questioned.
He said he had personally visited Khuzdar and Quetta to visit the families of the martyrs. “When we spoke to the parents of those children, they were such brave and remarkable people. One man, whose three sons were martyred, stood with complete courage and resolve and said, ‘My own life is also ready to be sacrificed for Pakistan.’”
Tarar said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been on the frontlines of the fight against terrorism, enduring immense losses yet continuing to stand firm in defence of the nation.
“You will find countless examples of how the brave people of KP have rendered immense sacrifices for this country, whether they are from the armed forces, civilians, tradesmen, doctors, engineers, or shopkeepers and children; every segment of society has sacrificed for Pakistan,” Tarar said.
Recalling the country’s collective resolve against terrorism, he noted how the state and its institutions had once united to eliminate the menace. “And when the entire country expressed its resolve to eradicate terrorism through the implementation of the National Action Plan, everyone saw how the armed forces, the federal government under Nawaz Sharif, and the provincial governments defeated terrorism through operations such as Zarb-i-Azb[4] and Raddul Fasaad[5].”
More to follow.
References
- ^ said (www.dawn.com)
- ^ APS Peshawar attack (www.dawn.com)
- ^ Khuzdar (www.dawn.com)
- ^ Zarb-i-Azb (www.dawn.com)
- ^ Raddul Fasaad (www.dawn.com)