World News | Pakistan PM Sharif Vows to 'crush the Nefarious Designs' of Terrorists

Islamabad, Dec 21 (PTI) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday vowed to "crush the nefarious designs" of terrorists who intended to spread chaos in Pakistan and asserted that the State would not bow down to any militant group, amid a resurgence in terror incidents across the country.

"Resurgence in terrorism poses a renewed threat to our national security. Our valiant security forces are fully capable of dealing with this threat," Prime Minister Sharif said.

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Voicing his concern a day after the Pakistan Army's elite forces killed nearly three dozen terrorists who had seized a police centre and taken hostages in Bannu area of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, Sharif said terrorism is a sensitive issue of national security, and a collective thinking and action plan are needed to counter it.

At least two commandos were killed in the military operation to end the hostage crisis. But the incident exposed the country's vulnerability to militant-led violence.

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The Prime Minister strongly condemned the recent terrorist incidents and vowed to "crush the nefarious designs of terrorists" who intended to spread chaos in the country, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.

He categorically said that the "State will not bow down to any terrorist group, and terrorists will be dealt with according to the law and the Constitution".

Sharif said the government would also address the external facilitation and hideouts of terrorists.

Appreciating the ample response of the armed forces, he said the entire nation will ultimately curb terrorism by supporting its brave forces.

He said the primary responsibility for law and order rests with the provinces, but the federal government cannot turn a blind eye to these serious issues. "We will work together with provinces to fight terrorism," he said.

Sharif said the National Action Plan, a consensus plan to eradicate militancy, would be fully implemented to eliminate terrorism in the country.

He said that increasing the capacity and efficiency of the provincial government is important in the eradication of terrorism and the government will assist in improving the professional capacity of counter-terrorism departments in all provinces.

The prime minister said that his government will work with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to revamp its Counter Terrorism Department.

"We will meet all the requirements of the armed forces, including provision of modern and sophisticated weapons and imparting professional training," he said.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) took responsibility for the recent spate of attacks, spotlighting the threat faced by the country even after several operations to uproot militancy.

The TTP, set up as an umbrella group of several militant outfits in 2007, last month called off a ceasefire agreed upon with the federal government in June and ordered its militants to stage terrorist attacks across the country.

The group, which is believed to be close to al-Qaeda, has been blamed for several deadly attacks across Pakistan, including an attack on army headquarters in 2009, assaults on military bases, and the 2008 bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)