LAHORE/KARACHI:
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday strongly condemned Afghanistan’s recent provocations, reaffirming that Pakistan would defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity against all threats.
In their separate statements, the president and the prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace, stressing that mutual cooperation, economic partnership and security coordination remain essential for lasting stability and prosperity in South Asia.
President Zardari, in a statement issued by the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) media cell, noted that there were United Nations reports that “proved” terrorist attacks were carried out from the Afghan soil. However, he also stressed that joint counter-terrorism efforts were the key to long-term regional peace.
Asserting that no compromise will be made on Pakistan’s sovereignty, Zardari said that attacks launched from the Afghan Taliban regime are a well-documented reality confirmed in successive United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reports.
President Zardari urged the Afghan Taliban regime to take “concrete and verifiable action” against anti-Pakistan terrorist elements operating from the Afghan soil. He termed the menace of terrorism “sponsored by India” as the “greatest threat to regional peace and stability”.
In a separate statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz paid tribute to the Pakistan Army for its “effective and comprehensive” response to Afghanistan’s provocations and for successfully targeting the hideouts of terrorists operating from across the border.
He lauded the professionalism of the armed forces in defending the nation’s borders and paid homage to the 23 security personnel who embraced martyrdom in the counter-terrorism operations. “I am proud of the professional excellence of the Pakistan Armed Forces.”
The prime minister reiterated that any act of aggression would be met with a strong and effective reply. He assured the families of the martyrs of the nation’s eternal gratitude and prayed for the recovery of the injured.
Shehbaz said that Pakistan had repeatedly shared information with Afghan Taliban regime regarding the presence of terrorist elements such as fitna-e-Khawarij and fitna-e-Hindustan using Afghan territory to carry out attacks.
He urged the Afghan Taliban regime to ensure that its soil was not used against Pakistan, warning that attempts to undermine the country’s security would be met with decisive action.
