PESHAWAR: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said that the country’s armed forces will not rest till militancy is eliminated across Pakistan.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief during his visit to the Upper Dir Malakand division after a blast in Peshawar, he said, “The attack on a Madressah is an act of enmity towards Islam,”
The army chief directed troops to remain vigilant as incidents of terrorism continue to rise over the past couple of days, ISPR said.
“On December 16, 2014, the enemy targeted children in the APS massacre,” said the army chief. “On October 27, the enemy targeted innocent children of a Madressah,” he said.
Bajwa credited the nation for “rejecting the narrative of the militants” by showing exemplary unity, adding that the masses stood united today with the same enthusiasm and resolve.
“We were united in grief yesterday, and the same is the case today,” he said. “The enemy was the same yesterday and the enemy remains the same today.”
The army chief said he had arrived in the area to demonstrate unity and share the grief of the innocent children of the Madressah who had been martyred in the bomb blast.
“We will not rest until we bring terrorists and their facilitators to their logical conclusion,” said the army chief, adding that the militants’ aim was to spread terror and ensure an atmosphere of fear prevailed across the country.
Educational institutions, innocent civilians and law enforcement agencies’ personnel were the main targets of the militants, Gen Bajwa added.
He said that Pakistan had expressed its resolve for a peaceful Afghanistan, cautioning Afghan refugees to stay away from terrorists. “Afghan refugees will have to stay alert regarding militants so they are not used, knowingly or unknowingly, in any terrorist incident,” he said.
The army chief later paid a visit to the Lady Reading Hospital where victims of the bomb blast are being treated. He inquired about their health during the tour of the hospital.
At least eight people were killed and more than 110 injured in an explosion on Tuesday morning at the Jamia Zuberia Madressah in Peshawar’s Dir Colony.
According to Lady Reading Hospital spokesperson Mohammad Asim, four of the deceased were students between the ages of 20 to 25.
“The blast took place in the Madressah during a Quran class. Someone took a bag inside with explosives,” Waqar Azim, a senior police official.
The LRH spokesperson said that seven dead bodies and 70 injured have been brought to the facility. He later said that another of the injured succumbed to his injuries, raising the death toll to eight.
He stated that the injured were being provided with immediate medical attention and the hospital’s director was present at the emergency ward. He added that an emergency had also been declared at the medical facility.
Senior Superintendent of Police (Operations) Mansoor Aman confirmed the explosion, saying that initial reports suggest an improvised explosive device (IED) was used in the explosion. “Five kgs of explosives were used in the blast.”
