Our national resolve is to eliminate terrorism, says Ahsan Iqbal

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal remarked on Tuesday that Pakistan's national resolve is to eliminate any sign of terrorism from the country.

“It is our national resolve to cleanse any sign of terrorism to achieve the objective of peace and development,” said the interior minister while addressing a three-day International Counter-Terrorism Forum in the federal capital.

Recounting in detail the efforts put in and sacrifices rendered by Pakistan in the war on terrorism, he said we carried out Zarb-e- Azb like operations from our own resources to flush out terror outfits.

“Terrorists have targeted all sections of Pakistan. Terrorists have attacked mosques, churches, temples and shrines.”

He remarked that Pakistan lost 60,000 lives in the war against terrorism but it did not deter the resolve of the nation. The narrative of peace and development is very clear to the nation, he added.

He, however, said that the war on terror is not over yet and we have to undertake collaborative efforts to achieve a decisive victory.

Speaking about the Afghan war, the interior minister said that once the war was over everyone left. “Afghanistan was left at the mercy of terrorist networks,” he remarked, adding that Pakistan is still suffering from the consequences of the Afghan war.

The interior minister reminded that the country was considered as one of the most dangerous places in the world back in 2013 but today the world publications are declaring Pakistan as an emerging economy in the world.

Voicing concerns over the recent wave of terror unleashed by Indian troops in occupied Kashmir, the interior minister said this will not contribute to bringing peace and stability to the region. 

He said responsibility rests with the world community to ensure that the blood and sufferings of any citizen regardless of his faith and ethnicity has equal sanctity. Otherwise, the terrorist outfits will exploit the situation to their advantage.