ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Thursday called on Prime Minister Imran Khan.
During the meeting. they discussed professional matters pertaining to Pakistan Army and the internal and external security situation Taking into account recent efforts to stoke violence in Pakistan, the prime minister resolved that the entire nation is united against the cowardly acts of the enemy.
The prime minister paid tributes to personnel of Pakistan Army, Frontier Constabulary and law enforcement agencies who sacrificed their lives for the defense of the motherland.
The meeting comes two days after a powerful bomb blast struck madrassah in Peshawar, killing at least seven people and injuring more than one hundred. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the army chief asserted that the armed forces will not rest till militancy is eliminated across Pakistan.
“The attack on a madrassa is enmity towards Islam,” said the army chief during his visit to the Upper Dir, Malakand Division. He directed troops to remain vigilant as incidents of terrorism continue to rise over the past couple of days.
“On December 16, 2014, the enemy targeted children in the APS massacre. On October 27, the enemy targeted innocent children of a madrassa,” he said. Gen 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 arrived in the area to demonstrate unity and share the grief of innocent children of the madrassa 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.
General Bajwa said that educational institutions, innocent civilians and law enforcement agencies’ personnel were the main targets of the militants. He said that Pakistan had expressed its resolve for a peaceful Afghanistan, cautioning Afghan refugees to stay away from terrorists.
