Islamabad: The first of batch of a special counter-terrorism police force being raised in Pakistan graduated on Saturday after completion of its training by army commandos, with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reiterating the resolve to rid the country of the scourge.
“The war on terror will be won at all costs,” Sharif said in an address at the passing-out ceremony ain Lahore, capital of Punjab province.
The ceremony was held under the shadow of a bomb attack on a mosque on Friday at Shikarpur in southern Sindh province that killed around 60 Shiites.
The first batch of the counter-terrorism force comprised of 421 personnel, including 16 women.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Raheel Sharif also attended.
Capacity building of police forms part of an anti-terror national action plan approved by all major political parties after December 16, 2014 Taliban massacre of 135 children at the army public school in Peshawar.
The plan also envisages trial of accused in terrorism cases by military courts.
Sharif said protection of lives and properties of people and maintenance of law and order “is our foremost priority”.
He said the war on terror “is the war of the entire nation”.
Referring to the Shikarpur tragedy, the prime minister said the horrific incident has grieved the entire nation.
He said it would take time to free the country of terrorists completely. However, the mission would be fulfilled, he said.