Pak PM visits Balochistan after insurgents attack train, reviews law and order situation

Karachi/Islamabad, Mar 13 (PTI) Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday visited Balochistan, where he reviewed the law and order situation and expressed solidarity with the people following the Jaffar Express hijacking incident in which 21 civilians and four soldiers were killed.

His visit comes a day after security forces killed all 33 Balochistan Liberation Army militants who on Tuesday hijacked the Jaffar Express, travelling from Quetta to Peshawar and carrying 440 passengers.

"Pakistan's peace and prosperity are linked with it (terrorism). There will be no prosperity without peace,” Sharif said while speaking at a high-level meeting.

He also said that terrorism posed a threat to Pakistan's existence and the menace should be wiped out from the country and called for national unity to deal with it.

He especially mentioned Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, the two worst-hit provinces, and said that progress in Pakistan was linked with the eradication of militancy from the region.

During the visit, the premier chaired a high-level meeting to review the security situation, where he was briefed on the law and order situation in Balochistan, including the recent terrorist attack. Among others, Army chief General Asim Munir was also present.

In an emotional tone, Sharif asked the entire political leadership to sit down together with the military leadership to discuss the challenges faced by the country. "One challenge in my view is that there should have been complete unity on this [incident], which unfortunately there is a gap of,” he said.

He announced that the government would provide all necessary resources to tackle the threat. “If anything is needed more than ever before, then it is national unity and solidarity. We will keep doing our politics but on this one point of saving the country from terrorism, we will need to be one.” He said he would call a meeting for consultation to decide the next course of action.

He also lambasted jailed former premier Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party's provincial government for its faulty policies that, in his view, led to a spike in the incidents of terrorism in the country.

The premier criticised what he called the "enemy’s propaganda" and said that "it is disappointing how our eastern neighbour promoted the narrative of Pakistan’s adversaries." Sharif was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar; Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar; Minister for Planning, Development Ahsan Iqbal; Minister for Science and Technology Nawabzada Mir Khalid Magsi and others.

Announcing the completion of the operation to rescue train hostages, Amy spokesman Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Wednesday said the armed forces took part in the action against militants who "remained in contact with their facilitators and mastermind based in Afghanistan via satellite phone".

Units from the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Special Services Group (SSG), Army, and Frontier Corps (FC) took part in the operation, he said.

Chaudhary said no one can be permitted to make innocent people of Pakistan the victim of their barbarism in the streets, trains, buses or markets because of their misleading ideas and instructions and facilitation of foreign masters.

“Whoever does this, let me say it very clearly, will be hunted down and brought to justice. Let me also say that this incident of Jaffar Express changes the rules of the game,” he said.

The bodies of those killed in the attack will be sent to their native areas after necessary administrative prerequisites.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Thursday lambasted Khan's party for “politicising” the incident and misinterpreting the situation on social media. "We need to rise above political interests and demonstrate national unity (on such occasions)," said Asif.

Asif slammed the former PTI-led government’s decision to relocate thousands of fighters from the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to the country.

“Our war against terrorism is a big milestone that the entire country can be proud of. If the entire nation stands proud like this with our armed forces, then there is no doubt we will be successful in our war (against terrorism),” the minister asserted. PTI SH/NSA ZH ZH