Pakistan PM Sharif Describes Terrorism As Biggest Challenge; Vows To Crush Terrorist Elements

ISLAMABAD: Describing terrorism as the biggest challenge, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Tuesday vowed to crush the terrorist elements for peace and progress of the country, which is struggling to deal with the increasing terror attacks. Addressing a meeting of the Apex Committee of the National Action Plan (NAP) at the Prime Minister House attended by all chief ministers, army chief and other services chiefs, heads of military and civilian intelligence agencies, ministers and high officials, Sharif voiced concerns over the uptick in terror attacks in bordering states.

"Terrorism is the biggest challenge,” he said, emphasising the scourge staring in the eyes of the civilian and military leadership. "We have no other choice but to crush the terrorist elements for peace and progress of the country," he said, adding that national reconciliation, progress and economic development were not possible without crushing evil.

Speaking at the meeting, Army Chief General Asim Munir said that anyone who creates an obstacle to Pakistan's security and tries to prevent the military from fulfilling its duties will have to bear the consequences. No formal statement was issued about his address but The Express Tribune newspaper reported that the army chief stressed the collective responsibility of every Pakistani in the ongoing fight against terrorism.

“In the war against terrorism, every Pakistani is a soldier — some in uniform, others without,” he said, adding that the nation must unite to combat the scourge of terrorism. General Munir reiterated the primacy of Pakistan's constitution, highlighting that it assigns the military the responsibility of ensuring both the internal and external security of the country. The Prime Minister questioned why terrorism rose its head after 2018 when it was almost eliminated.

He also called for prioritising peace and progress of the country over "protests and sit-ins" as jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf plans a protest march in Islamabad on November 24. "We have to decide whether [one should be] staging sit-ins or long marches or work for the [country's] progress," he said.

He also recounted improvement on the economic front, saying that the stock market rose to an all-time high of more than 95,000 points, while inflation had been brought down under single digits and interest rate reduced from 22 to 15 per cent. Sharif urged to increase the tax rate while asking the country's elite to make a sacrifice by paying taxes as per their wealth. He was appreciative of the role played by the provincial governments and institutions in taking the economy towards improvement.

The prime minister also said that China, Saudi Arabia and the UAE helped Pakistan clinch a loan of USD 7 billion from the International Monetary Fund. He also acknowledged the support extended by the provinces in securing the IMF Program. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that the main focus of the meeting was the increase in terrorism in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as in Karachi where Chinese have been targeted. "Coordination committees have been set up to increase cooperation to combat militancy," he said in an interview with Geo News.

He also disclosed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said in the meeting that his party leader Imran Khan has been kept in jail for more than a year without any crime. Gandapur also complained that his party was not being allowed to hold protests and rallies. “But his 99 per cent talk was about the issue of militancy in his province,” Asif said.

The Apex Committee was set up after the National Action Plan was devised in 2014 to combat militancy in the country. The committee brings together the top civilian and military leadership to discuss the issue of terrorism and agree on steps to eliminate it.