Islamabad (Web Desk/Agencies): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that perpetrators of the May 9 riots resorted to new tactics to malign the country and its armed forces as a malicious campaign was run against army and his family from the official website of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
“We will not tolerate any such steps against the country, its innocent people, and armed forces,” the premier said while addressing the federal cabinet in Islamabad.
He emphasized the need to unite against such malicious campaigns, stressing that our armed forces have made immense sacrifices in the fight against terrorism to ensure peace and stability in the country.
Voicing serious concerns over the recent surge in terror acts especially in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the prime minister said this is being done under an organized conspiracy.
He called the terrorism wave a machination against Pakistan as it was taking place at a time when the coalition government was making efforts for the country’s development as it reached a Staff Level Agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) despite challenges and announced a three-month relief package for 96% of domestic power consumers.
Denounced the terror attacks in Pakistan involving Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) using Afghan soil saying that it is “unacceptable” as Pakistan is fully prepared to protect its citizens but desires to resolve the matter peacefully.
Highlighting the role of Afghanistan in the surged wave of terrorism, the prime minister said the government was in interaction with them as Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif also visited there.
“But how is it possible that we hosted millions of their people here without any complaint? We treated them like our brothers and never considered them as a burden. But we were rewarded in the form of TTP attacks on our citizens to mar the country’s peace and business. This is not acceptable,” he remarked.
PM Shehbaz said Pakistan is ready to face any kind of situation as its valiant armed forces have sacrificed their lives to safeguard the country and its people.
During the meeting the prime minister apprised the members of a decision to abolish the visa fees for 126 countries as a “quantum jump” to bring ease of doing business and attract businessmen, tourists and travelers to Pakistan. The decision, made after a threadbare discussion, would be tabled before the cabinet for its consideration, he added.
He said the deficiency of the visa fees would be made up by foreign exchange earned through investment and tourism, including religious tourism of which Pakistan has immense potential.
PM Shehbaz said that the visitors would get visas within 24 hours through the electronic travel authorization form. Besides, the E-gates would be established at Gwadar Port and nine airports – initially in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi airports.
The prime minister strongly condemned the unprecedented human rights abuses of Israel against Palestinians as around 40,000 Palestinians had been killed including thousands of children and women.
He said despite the resolutions passed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and UN General Assembly and the decision by the International Court of Justice, Israel was unbudged from its oppression which was highly condemnable.
The prime minister drew attention to the attacks on Pakistan’s missions in Germany and London.
PM Shehbaz said that the Foreign Office had timely taken up the matter and that the envoys of the countries concerned should be given demarches to seek the protection of Pakistan’s missions.