TTP’s Afghan-based terror attacks unacceptable: PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday denounced the terror attacks in Pakistan involving Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) using Afghan soil, saying it is “unacceptable” as Pakistan was fully prepared to protect its citizens but desired to resolve the matter peacefully.

The prime minister, in his remarks at the meeting of the federal cabinet chaired by him, pointed out the surge in terror incidents, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, causing the martyrdom of the personnel of army, police and civil armed forces.

He called the terrorism wave a machination against Pakistan as it was taking place at a time when the coalition government was making efforts for the country’s development as it reached a Staff Level Agreement with IMF despite challenges and announced a three-month relief package for 96 percent of domestic power consumers, the official news agency reported.

Highlighting the role of Afghanistan in the surged wave of terrorism, the prime minister said the government was in interaction with them as Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also visited there.

“But how is it possible that we hosted millions of their people here without any complaint? We treated them like our brothers and never considered them as a burden. But we were rewarded in the form of TTP attacks on our citizens to mar the country’s peace and business. This is not acceptable,” he remarked.

He said Pakistan was ready to face any kind of situation as its valiant armed forces had sacrificed their lives to safeguard the country and its people.

Prime Minister Shehbaz also highlighted that the perpetrators of the May 9 riots, who had also attacked parliament, PTV and besieged the PM House in the past, had resorted to new tactics to malign the country and its armed forces as a malicious campaign was run against COAS General Asim Munir from the official website of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

“We will not tolerate any such steps against the country, its innocent people, and armed forces,” he said and called for national unity to protect the national interest.

The prime minister apprised the members of a decision to abolish the visa fees for 126 countries as a “quantum jump” to bring ease of doing business and attract businessmen, tourists and travellers to Pakistan. The decision, made after a threadbare discussion, would be tabled before the cabinet for its consideration, he added.

He said the deficiency of the visa fees would be made up by foreign exchange earned through investment and tourism, including religious tourism of which Pakistan has immense potential.

Prime Minister Shehbaz said that the visitors would get visas within 24 hours through the electronic travel authorisation form. Besides, E-gates would be established at Gwadar Port and nine airports — initially in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi airports.

The prime minister strongly condemned the unprecedented human rights abuses being committed by Israel against Palestinians as around 40,000 Palestinians had been killed.

He said despite the resolutions passed by the United Nations Security Council and UN General Assembly and the decision by the International Court of Justice, Israel has not budged from its oppression, which was highly condemnable.

The prime minister drew attention to the attacks on Pakistan’s missions in Germany and London. He said the Foreign Office timely took up the matter and that the envoys of the countries concerned should be given demarches to seek the protection of Pakistan’s missions.