National consensus needed to uproot terrorism: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif
PTI avoided building consensus against terror by refusing to participate in APC, Asif say
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif on Saturday said national harmony was needed to uproot the monster of terrorism, but former prime minister and PTI leader Imran Khan’s lust for power was creating hurdles in achieving that.
Talking to a private media channel, he said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) avoided building a national consensus against terrorism by refusing to participate in the All Parties Conference (APC) called in the wake of Police Lines Peshawar tragedy.
While condemning the Karachi terror attack, the minister said the time has come to move beyond condemnation against terrorism.
The government’s top priority was to control terrorism and deal with the economic crisis and it had kept all political differences and instability aside to achieve those endeavours.
His comments came a day after militants launched a deadly suicide attack on the police headquarters of Pakistan’s largest city.
Three security forces and a civilian were killed and 18 security forces wounded, according to government officials and Ghulam Nabi Memon, police chief for the southern Sindh province where Karachi is located.
Two suicide bombers were killed and at least one blew himself up after entering the police building, officials added.
Pakistani Taliban in a brief statement claimed responsibility.
Murtaza Wahab, a government adviser, confirmed that police and paramilitary forces in a joint operation had cleared the police building within three hours of the attack late Friday.
“I confirm that the operation against the terrorists is over,” said Wahab.
President Arif Alvi in a statement condemned the attack in Karachi, which is Pakistan’s chief commercial city, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to security forces for the successful operation.
Sharif appreciated the security forces for their successful operation. The prime minister expressed his condolences to the bereaved families of police, Ranger personnel and a civilian who embraced shahadat during the incident. The He also stressed immediate professional preparedness and enhancement of capacity building of the police force. The prime minister observed that the strength of state and collective mechanisms would be completely utilized to root out the scourge of terrorism.
Earlier, TV footage showed officers surrounding the city’s central police station as residents reported the sound of explosions and gunfire.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said some of the militants threw hand grenades as they tried to force their way into the police headquarters.