QUETTA: President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday emphasized the need for winning the “war against terrorism” at all costs, saying the situation is clear….. “the state has to survive and the war against terrorism has to be won”, according to state-run PTV News.
President Asif Zaradri was chairing a meeting held to review security situation during his visit to Quetta amid the prevailing tense security environment in Balochistan, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.
A statement from the PPP said that President Zardari arrived in Quetta on a daylong visit to review the provincial law and order situation and later he also attended a briefing on law and order in the province.
The visit comes amid an alarming rise in terror incidence in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Last week, the unprecedented Jaffar Express hijacking took place in Balochistan which resulted in loss of at least 31 lives and a suicide attack on a security convey in Nushki District the following day that left five dead.
In a statement issued on the meeting’s discussion, the president was quoted as saying: “Terrorists will be defeated at all costs. Terrorists are trying to divide the nation. He emphasized that the situation is clear… “the state has to survive and the war against terrorism has to be won.”
President Zardari pledged to provide modern weaponry to counter-terrorism forces and expressed his desire for development and lasting peace in Balochistan, the statement read.
“Balochistan is close to my heart,” the president said, adding that he wanted “to see every child of Balochistan in school”.
“Enlightening children with modern technology is the need of the hour,” he was quoted as saying.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was also a part of the meeting attended by Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti and provincial ministers.
Earlier yesterday, the Parliamentary Committee on National Security had emphasized the need for implement counterterrorism frameworks — the National Action Plan and Vision Azm-i-Istehkam — to curb terrorism. During the meeting, Army Chief Gen Asim Munir pointed to governance gaps as a key reason behind the spike in terrorism and called for making Pakistan a “hard state”.
The declaration of the security meeting also underscored a consensus and unified political commitment to combat the scourge of terrorism with the “full might of the state.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had similarly called for national unity and dialogue against the menace of terrorism in the country in a visit to Quetta last week after the attack.
