Peshawar: Amidst a spike in terror strikes in Pakistan, Army chief General Asim Munir Monday voiced concern over banned militant groups enjoying safe haven in neighbouring Afghanistan and asked them to submit to the writ of state or get decimated.
“Terrorism has no place in Pakistan and the involvement of Afghan nationals in terrorist incidents in Pakistan is detrimental to regional peace, stability and deviation from the Doha Peace Agreement by the interim Afghan government,” he said.
During a visit to the headquarters of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Frontier Corps (FC) here, he said: “Pakistan has concerns over sanctuaries available to banned outfits and liberty of action they enjoy on Afghan soil. Pakistan will spare no effort to dismantle terrorist networks and protect its citizens at all costs.”
His visit came days after a powerful blast triggered by a suicide bomber killed at least 63 people and injured nearly 100 others at a rally of a hardline Islamic party in a restive tribal district of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan.
The banned terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the suicide attack.
“The surge in terrorism in the recent past is a futile effort on the part of terrorists to get the talks re-initiated; However, there is no option for these terrorists except to submit to the writ of state of Pakistan before they are decimated, if they persist on their wrong path,” he said.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist attacks following the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021.
General Munir met tribal elders from newly merged districts (NMDs) of the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province leading personalities from all walks of life and reiterated: “With the unflinching resolve of the nation, Pakistan is successfully countering terrorism to enable a stable and peaceful environment for socioeconomic development in the area.”
The tribal elders assured that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its ideology will never be acceptable to any tribe and that the tribal people will continue to stand with the State through thick and thin.
“The Pakistan Army stands with our tribal brothers and will never leave them alone as over the years they have given innumerable sacrifices for the peace and prosperity of the motherland. It’s time to develop all tribal areas and concentrate on youth,” the army chief said.
He reiterated the resolve of the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps and other law enforcement agencies in their fight against terrorism until the elimination of this menace from the country.
“The surge in terrorism in recent past is a futile effort on the part of terrorists to get the talks reinitiated, however, there is no option for these terrorists except to submit to the writ of the state of Pakistan before they are decimated if they persist on their wrong path,” the army chief said.
PTI