ISLAMABAD (National Times) – Pakistan’s civil and military leadership expressed resolute commitment on Wednesday to completely eradicate terrorism from the country, a day after a grisly terrorist attack killed five Chinese engineers and their Pakistani driver in Bisham town of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In a high-level emergency meeting convened after the Bisham terrorist attack, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared that the perpetrators of this barbaric act would be swiftly brought to justice, while Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Asim Munir vowed to leave no stone unturned in ensuring the safety and security of every foreign citizen, especially Chinese nationals contributing to Pakistan’s prosperity.
The attack occurred on Tuesday when a suicide bomber targeted a convoy of engineers traveling from Islamabad to their camp in Dasu, resulting in the tragic loss of lives.
Chairing the meeting, PM Shehbaz ordered a thorough joint investigation into the terrorist attack on the Chinese nationals working on the Dasu Hydel Power Project, utilising all state resources available.
He offered deepest condolences to the families of the victims and affirmed swift justice for the perpetrators.
PM Shehbaz commended the alacrity with which law enforcement agencies and locals responded to the attack, saving many precious lives.
He underscored the enduring bond between Pakistan and China, expressing the nation’s sorrow over the loss of Chinese lives.
“Terrorism is a trans-national threat that has been instrumentalised by the enemies of Pakistan to stymie Pakistan’s progress and development,” the PM said, adding that the acts of terrosim targeting Pakistan-China friendship were particularly aimed at creating mistrust between the iron-brothers.
COAS Gen Asim Munir, during the meeting, reiterated the resolve of the armed forces to eliminate the scourge of terrorism afflicting the country.
The army chief mentioned that the nation had steadfastly fought the war on terror for the past two decades and had defeated the nefarious designs of Pakistan’s adversaries.
Noting the recent surge in terrorist incidents, the COAS remarked that the enemies of Pakistan had once again underestimated the resilience and grit of the state and the people of Pakistan.
He said that “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,” Munir asserted.
According to a press release issued by the PM’s Office, the meeting was attended by the federal ministers, COAS, chief ministers, chief secretaries and inspector generals of police.
The meeting discussed in detail the heinous attack on innocent civilians working on a development project, meant to contribute to energy and water security of Pakistan.
The meeting concluded with the participants reiterating the resolve to comprehensively combat terrorism employing all resources available to the state.
The participants of the meeting expressed resolute commitment to completely rooting out terrorism from the country.
They expressed serious concerns over sanctuaries available to terrorists across the borders and emphasised the need for a regional approach for countering terrorism.
