ISLAMABAD  - Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday stated that terrorists will not succeed in their attempts to deprive children of getting education and they will be defeated at all cost.
Addressing a high-level meeting, he stressed the need of implementation of National Action Plan (NAP) in totality to fight out militancy from the country and to effectively control and contain the resurgence of terrorists.
The meeting was participated by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali, Army Chief General Raheel Sharif, ISI DG Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar, National Security Adviser Nasir Janjua and other top officials.
The participants reviewed the overall security situation in the country and the loopholes in the counter-terror mechanism leading to the incidents like Bacha Khan University terror attack. They appreciated the successes achieved in Zarb-e-Azb.
Addressing the participants, Nawaz Shairf said that successful implementation on all clauses of the National Action Plan is vital to eradicate the menace of terrorism.
The national resolve to fight terrorism and extremism was unflinching and those who were threatening kids from going to schools will be defeated, he vowed. “Our children will defeat those who are trying to scare them off schools.”
Terrorists will be eliminated from every nook and corner of the country, he vowed. The unmatched sacrifices rendered by law enforcement agencies were commendable in this regard, he added.
Sources aware of meeting deliberations informed The Nation that the need of enhancing coordination between the law enforcement and intelligence agencies was stressed and it was decided to make the intelligence agencies work in more proactive fashion to expose and frustrate the nefarious designs of these elements who were already on the run but going for the softer targets like educational institutions.
Sources in the PM Secretariat said that the prime minister directed for making National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) fully functional to proactively pool and share the intelligence with law enforcement agencies to proactively check the activities of terrorists.
Interior Minister Ch Nisar Ali briefed the participants about the progress of Bacha Khan terror attack investigation and also informed them that alerts about the possible terror attack on the university had been shared with the provincial government but no appropriate measures were taken on this count.
Sources further informed that it was unanimous view of the participants to continue the ongoing targeted operation in port city of Karachi and the prime minister expressed his resolve not to let the gains of Karachi operation wasted.
The issue of extension in Rangers’ stay in Karachi and controversy over their powers and ambit of operation also figured in the meeting and the prime minister directed the interior minister to talk to Sindh Chief Minister on the issue and also visit the port city to resolve the issue through negotiations as he did not want to see the matter politicise and land in controversy.
The meeting was also briefed on the ongoing operation Zerb-e-Azb and the PM expressed his satisfaction over the targets achieved in the operation so far which according to insiders was in its final phase. He directed that in the rehabilitation process of the temporarily displaced persons funds and other logistics should not become a hurdle.
Adviser to PM on National Security Lt-Gen (r) Nasser Khan Janjua briefed the meeting on the development on Pakistan’s correspondence with India on Pathankot terror attack and it was decided that Islamabad should extend all out help in resolving the issue remaining within the ambit of law.
It was further decided that on completion of the probe here Pakistan could take up the issue of seeking access to the place of attack to complete its probe for which a formal contact with India would be made at appropriate time.