Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Saturday claimed to have reached out to the accused in Lahore blast and said that he would defeat terrorism.
Talking to media in Islamabad, he said that all the institutions have been issued alert by the interior ministry and directed to remain vigilant.
He said that after being defeated at the hands of Taliban in Afghanistan, the Indian spy agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), backed groups are planning to carry out terrorist activities in Pakistan.
The minister said that thousands of lives have been sacrificed in the war against terrorism, adding that the Balochistan Nationalist Army (BNA) is a small group and it is not known yet whether the BLA has claimed responsibility for the Lahore blast or not.
Rasheed said that the security institutions are fully prepared to curb terrorist activities in the country, adding that the incidents like Lahore blast cannot shatter “our determination and morale”.
He went on to say that investigation of the Lahore incident is underway and perpetrators of the attack will be held accountable to law.
“Deadlock over negotiations with TTP [Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan] came due to their unacceptable conditions,” he said and added two terrorist of TTP were killed in Islamabad on the 18th of this month and same action would be taken against anyone who will try to spoil the peace of the motherland.
The minister said: “Our nation paid heavy price for restoration of peace in the country and no one will be allowed at any cost to spoil it. We have sacrificed more than 80,000 lives and suffered an economic loss of around 150 billion dollars for this purpose.”
Regarding speculations about presidential system in the country, he said no such move has been discussed in the cabinet.
He expressed hope that Prime Minister Imran Khan will complete his five-year tenure and the current opposition will not succeed in any undemocratic move.
He also urged the opposition to postpone their rally scheduled for March 23 as OIC leaders will be in the federal capital during that period.
Meanwhile, according to a news outlet, the interior ministry has warned the security institutions of all four provinces of a possible terrorist attack following a blast in Lahore, which claimed at least three lives earlier this week.
The ministry urged the provinces to be on a high-alert and prepare for any unforeseen security situation.
With additional input from INP
