ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday condemned terrorist attacks in Pakistan involving Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) using Afghan soil, saying it was “unacceptable” as Pakistan was fully prepared to protect its citizens but wished to resolve the matter in a peaceful way.
In his remarks at a meeting of the federal cabinet headed by him, the prime minister pointed to an increase in terrorist incidents, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which has resulted in the killing of army, police and civilian armed forces personnel.
He called the wave of terrorism a machination against Pakistan because it came at a time when the coalition government was making efforts to develop the country, reaching a staff-level agreement with the IMF despite problems and announcing a three-month aid package for 96% of domestic electricity consumers.
Highlighting Afghanistan’s role in the rising tide of terrorism, the prime minister said the government was interacting with them as Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif was also there.
He said that Pakistan is ready to face any situation as its brave armed forces have sacrificed their lives to protect the country and its people.
PM Shehbaz also pointed out that the perpetrators of the May 9 riots, who had also attacked Parliament, PTV and besieged the Prime Minister’s House in the past, had resorted to a new tactic to malign the country and its armed forces as a malicious campaign was being waged against them. Army Chief General Asim Munir from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf official website.
“We will not tolerate any such actions against the country, its innocent people and the armed forces,” he said, calling for national unity to protect national interests.
The Prime Minister apprised the members of the decision to waive visa fees for 126 countries as a “quantum leap” to ease business and attract businessmen, tourists and travelers to Pakistan. He added that the decision taken after the hackneyed discussion would be submitted to the cabinet for consideration.
He said the shortfall in visa fees would be compensated by foreign exchange earned through investment and tourism, including religious tourism, for which Pakistan has huge potential.
Prime Minister Shehbaz said that the visitors will get their visas within 24 hours through the electronic travel authorization form. In addition, E-gates will be set up at Gwadar port and nine airports – initially in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.
The prime minister strongly condemned Israel’s unprecedented human rights violations against Palestinians, when around 40,000 Palestinians, including thousands of children and women, were killed.
He said that despite the resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly and the ruling of the International Court of Justice, Israel has not relented from its oppression, which is highly condemnable.
The Prime Minister drew attention to the attacks on Pakistani missions in Germany and London. He said that the Foreign Office had taken up the matter in time and that the envoys of the countries concerned should be given demarches to seek protection of the Pakistani missions.
The federal cabinet, in a meeting with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday, passed a resolution reiterating support for the Palestinians, condemning Israel’s barbaric acts and calling for war crimes proceedings.
The Prime Minister told the meeting that Israel’s ongoing barbaric acts in Palestine were unprecedented in human history as they targeted innocent citizens including children and women in Gaza and the rest of the Palestinian territories.
The prime minister said he raised a strong voice for the rights of the oppressed people of Palestine during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and SCO Plus summits in Astana.
He stressed for the resolution of the Palestinian issue in accordance with the UN resolutions, the PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.
The prime minister also strongly condemned the attack and vandalism of the national flag at Pakistan’s mission in Frankfurt, Germany and said that elements involved in such an act should face strict legal action.
He also condemned the recent terrorist incidents in the country and paid tribute to the security forces personnel who laid down their lives in these incidents. The prime minister prayed for the high ranks of shuhadah in Jannah.
In addition, to facilitate Sikh Yatrees holding third country passports, the Cabinet has approved a separate sub-category in the visa-on-arrival facility. To this end, a control panel would be established at the Ministry of Home Affairs to oversee the online visa system.
