Military authorised to act against terrorists 'inside and outside the country', says Dar

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has said the military leadership has been authorised to act against terrorists both "inside and outside the country".

The statement comes days after Pakistani forces first conducted surgical strikes on terrorist sanctuaries across the Pak-Afghan border on February 18, following a week of deadly terrorist attacks in the country in which over 100 people were killed. 

The Pakistani military has since pounded militant camps across the border at least twice, leaving dead scores of terrorists, who were attempting to regroup.

Speaking to the media, Dar said that Pakistan, for the sake of its safety and security, will not allow its soil to be used against any country.

"Military leadership has been given the authority to take action against terrorists both inside and outside the country," he said.

“We have credible evidence that foreign countries are involved in terrorism within Pakistan,” Dar added. “They are financing, controlling and executing terrorism.”

About the blasts in Lahore and Peshawar, the finance minister said foreign hands were involved in the incidents.

Friday's strikes across the Afghan border were conducted hours after Afghan embassy officials were summoned to the Pakistan Army's General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, where they were handed over a list of 76 terrorists orchestrating terrorist activities in Pakistan from Afghan soil.

Pakistan has repeatedly warned Afghan authorities to prevent the use of their soil for terror activities in Pakistan.

"Those countries should act against terrorists themselves," Dar said, without naming Afghanistan, from where a number of recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan have reportedly been coordinated.

He warned that if other states did not act against terrorists operating on their soil then Pakistan will itself have to act for the sake of its security.

“There are terrorist training camps near Pakistan`s northern border, if NATO is not taking action then what are we supposed to do," he maintained. "There is no ambiguity as Pakistan`s civil and military forces are on the same page and we will put this matter to a logical end.”

Earlier this week, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa spoke over the phone to US General John Nicholson, Commander of Resolute Support Mission (RSM) in Afghanistan conveying his concerns over continued acts of terrorism in Pakistan from Afghanistan, a statement from Inter Services Public Relations read.

"Most of the incidents in Pakistan are claimed by terrorist organisations with leadership hiding in Afghanistan," the army chief told Nicholson.

The COAS said that such terrorist activities and inaction against them are testing Pakistan's current policy of cross-border restraint," according to the statement.

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