PM says India’s role in terrorism inside Pakistan is ‘absolutely clear’

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said India’s role in terrorist attacks inside Pakistan was ‘absolutely clear’ and called for a united national response to the threat of militancy.

Addressing participants of the Balochistan National Workshop in Islamabad, the prime minister said India was backing terrorism in Pakistan. He also said Balochistan’s leadership had consistently placed the federation above personal interests and added that the province’s people had played an important part in the creation of Pakistan.

Shehbaz said Punjab had made a generous contribution to Balochistan’s share under the National Finance Commission Award and added that national development depended on balanced contributions from all four provinces. He further said work was in progress on the Karachi-Chaman dual carriageway project.

Referring to the country’s security situation, the prime minister said 90,000 people had embraced martyrdom in the fight against terrorism. He also noted that a sessions judge had been killed in Mastung a day earlier.

The prime minister said the Afghan Taliban administration had ‘completely failed’ to prevent terrorists from using Afghan soil for attacks on Pakistani civilians and security personnel. He maintained that terrorism had been eliminated by 2018 but later resurfaced under what he described as an organised conspiracy.

Shehbaz said the sacrifices of the people of Balochistan would not be wasted and added that Pakistan had registered important successes in recent days. Turning to diplomacy, he praised Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar for their role in efforts to mediate between the United States and Iran.

According to the prime minister, Pakistan’s role in promoting regional peace was receiving international recognition. Islamabad emerged as a principal mediator between Tehran and Washington after conflict erupted in the Middle East following joint US-Israel strikes on Iran on February 28.

Army chief’s remarks on Balochistan

The prime minister’s comments came a day after Field Marshal Munir said foreign-sponsored proxies would be defeated in Balochistan through a decisive response.

According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations after the army chief’s interaction with participants of the 20th National Workshop Balochistan at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi on Thursday, he said sustained efforts by security forces and law enforcement agencies, backed by public support, would bring durable peace to the province.

The ISPR said Field Marshal Munir also reaffirmed that operations against Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan would continue with full resolve until terrorism and its facilitators were eliminated from Pakistan. The military’s media wing added that he reiterated Pakistan’s determination to dismantle terrorist infrastructure wherever it threatened the country and its people.