Pakistan won war against terrorism, while rest of the world failed: PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi remarked on Thursday that Pakistan won the war against terrorism, while rest of the world failed. 

"Pakistan is a leader in the war against terrorism. Tell me the name of another country which sent 20,000 soldiers to fight terrorists," he remarked while addressing the closing ceremony of International Counter-Terrorism Forum in Islamabad. 

The PM shared that the Army Public School incident became a turning point and the entire nation resolved to develop a strategy to counter terrorism. “The nation stood united in the fight against terrorism.”

Radical actions were required to root out the menace of terrorism, he added. "If you look at the polling stations, the people of Pakistan have always rejected radicalisation." 

We have countered extremism by developing a public stance on terrorism, he said. 

On relations with Afghanistan, the premier shared “nobody wants peace in Afghanistan more than us.” However, he remarked that the way forward is through dialogue and not war.

“War will not deliver peace in Afghantion. Peace will only come through dialogue."

The premier negated the claims of terrorist sanctuaries operating in Pakistan. “We do not believe that there are terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan. On the other hand, there are terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan, which are being used to target Pakistan.”

On the issue of occupied Kashmir, PM Abbasi shared that the IoK issue will only be resolved through the implementation of UN Security Council resolution.

“The international community should accept what is going in Kashmir, atrocities are being committed, human rights are being violated. People of all ages are being targeted."

He added, "We are firm in our resolve to ensure country's economic progress."

Need to work towards sustainable development: Asif 

Earlier, while speaking at the same conference, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif had remarked that it is the need of the hour to work towards sustainable development. 

He urged that there is a dire need to invest in human resources. 

The foreign minister further said that Pakistan's success against the menace of terrorism is helping the country realise it's vision of democracy. 

He remarked that the whole nation stands united in the fight against terrorism.

Asif said Pakistan has been a major victim of terrorism. Terrorists are trying to undermine our sovereignty and no country can ignore attacks on its territorial integrity, he added. 

Khawaja Muhammad Asif said our forces have offered unprecedented sacrifices to defend the motherland and they are ready to offer more sacrifices for the country. He said the nation has an unwavering resolve to eliminate terrorism.

He asserted that democracy is essential for the country. "Democracy gives us freedom of expression as well as social and economic rights," he said, adding it is the democratic system which led to the drafting of Constitution. 

He added, "We are committed to prime minister's vision of a democratic Pakistan."