- I pay tribute to the people and governments of Pakistan, especially for the bravery of Balochistan: Premier
- The federal and provincial governments say and people should work together to ensure peace in KP, Balochistan.
Quetta: Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Thursday said that the country’s leadership meeting will be called for consultation on the issue of terrorism, as was done after the attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar.
He was addressing a meeting here on the issue of law and order in Balochistan in the backdrop of the recent train hostage incident.
“We need unity and national solidarity, which will help the armed forces fight against terrorism and their devotion,” he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Governor Balochistan Jafar Khan Mandokil, Chief Minister Balochistan Sarfraz Bugti, Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir, Parliamentarians and high -level officials attended the meeting.
The Prime Minister said, “Today we are together on the occasion when the whole nation was sad three days ago, terrorists attacked a train in which more than 400 people were traveling.”
The terrorists did not care about the sanctity of Ramadan and brutally took the passengers out of the train and captured them in a missing place, adding that passengers were going to their hometown to celebrate Eid and meet their loved ones.
He said that the security forces developed a strategy and saved the lives of passengers, including children, and eliminated the terrorists.
“We should be grateful to the security forces headed by the Chief of Army Staff and Corps Commander Quetta, intelligence agencies and the company, which saved 339 passengers and eliminated 33 terrorists,” he said.
He said he took more than two hours about the security situation in Balochistan and visited the injured in the hospital.
The Prime Minister said, “I pay tribute to the people and governments of Pakistan, especially for the bravery of Balochistan.”
He said that governments and people at the federal and provincial levels should work together to ensure peace in the country, especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
He pointed out that Balochistan was the largest province in Pakistan in terms of area and people from all the provinces were living there.
The Prime Minister believed that Pakistan would not develop without bringing Balochistan equal to other provinces of the country and would not gain prosperity.
He reminded that finalization of the National Finance Commission award through the leadership of the country under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari in 2010 was a major achievement.
During the approval of the award, Punjab provided financial support for the development of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, adding that Punjab had given Rs 600 billion for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in many years but no development projects were implemented.
The Prime Minister said that Pakistan would not be able to develop Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan without eliminating terrorism.
He said that Pakistan lost 80,000 lives in the fight against terrorism and peace was restored in 2018 only after the immense sacrifices of the army, police and law enforcement agencies. He added that Pakistan’s economy suffered a loss of $ 30 billion due to the war on terror.
The Prime Minister questioned that terrorism once again raised its head in the years after that and said that the release of thousands of Taliban from jail has led to an increase in terrorism. He added that the Taliban released were involved in the heinous crimes.
The Prime Minister said that officers and men are sacrificing their lives in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan to protect the people of Pakistan from the curse of terrorism.
He expressed regret over the language used by some elements of the country against the armed forces and Pakistan.
He warned that poisonous propaganda against the armed forces was not acceptable and tolerable.
The Prime Minister, “We have to respect the sacrifices of our armed forces who surpass their loved ones to protect the country’s future.”
He said that Pakistan’s eastern neighbor is issuing propaganda which was first presented by some elements of the country.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif highlighted the need to collect a new force equipped with modern weapons and equipment in Balochistan and said that he was ready to provide all the necessary resources to counter the curse of terrorism.
He said that the government strengthened the economy within a year and critics who were talking about default were surprised at the country’s economic achievements.
He said that Pakistan’s irrevocable commitment to terrorism helped the world to achieve peace and security.
The Prime Minister called on the country’s leadership to sit together to discuss the challenges facing the country.
He said that the crisis that was taken hostage is against the culture and traditions of Balochistan, adding that terrorist elements are trying to use every device to create discrimination in the nation.
Talking about development in Balochistan, he said that 300 agriculture students from Balochistan were sent to China for higher education. He said that Balochistan’s quota was higher than other provinces in the fields of training for education and expertise development.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Balochistan Sarfraz Bugti said that the attack on train and passengers’ imprisonment is a violation of the traditions and principles of the people of Balochistan.
He strongly condemned the incident and vowed to wipe out terrorism from the province and to ensure good governance.
