ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday condemned the propaganda allegedly carried out by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party against the army and its leadership, saying such acts will “never be tolerated”.
His remarks came two days after Army Spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif said a large illegal political mafia had risen up to sabotage the planned new anti-terror operation “Azm-e-Istekam” and said the mafia’s first move was to make the operation controversial through false and spurious arguments.
Presiding over a meeting of the Federal Cabinet, Prime Minister Sharif termed the propaganda campaign as unacceptable and painful.
He stressed the “need to unite against such malicious operations” and noted that “our armed forces have made great sacrifices in the fight against terrorism to ensure peace and stability in our country.”
The prime minister also condemned the groups behind the May 9 riots last year, accusing them of using new tactics to disrupt the country.
“The May 9 group did everything they could to shake the foundations of the country. Today they are committing new crimes with new tactics,” he said.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the recent attacks on Pakistani consulates in Germany and London, describing it as extremely unfortunate. The Prime Minister said the Foreign Secretary had taken immediate action after the attacks.
The prime minister expressed serious concern over the recent surge in terrorist acts, especially in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying that it was being carried out under an organised conspiracy.
He noted that the Pakistani Taliban movement has been involved in terrorist attacks and said terrorism emanating from a neighbouring country was totally unacceptable, but did not name the country.
He added that Pakistan is ready to protect its people but wants to address the issue through negotiations and peaceful means. He said direct and indirect contacts are being made in this regard.
He spoke about Afghanistan’s role in recent terrorist attacks and complained that the country has not returned the generosity shown to Afghan refugees.
“We have accepted millions of their people without complaint, treating them as brothers and never considering them a burden, so why is the TTP in retaliation attacking our people and disrupting peace and business in the country? This is unacceptable,” he said.
He said the government has decided to abolish visa fees for 126 countries, describing this as an important step to promote business and attract investors, tourists and travellers.
Meanwhile, sources close to the meeting said the Cabinet deferred a decision on banning the PTI and initiating treason cases against former President Arif Alvi, former Prime Minister Imran Khan and former Deputy Speaker of National Assembly Qasim Suri.
The government postponed the decision pending consultations with coalition partners, including the Pakistan People’s Party.
Published July 24, 2024 14:10 IST
