Pakistani Nation Made 90,000 Sacrifices in the War Against Terrorism: Atta Tarar
ISLAMABAD: Information and Broadcasting Minister Atta Tarar has said that in 2017, the fight against terrorism had been successful due to the National Action Plan and it restored peace in the country and made the investment environment favourable. He said that 90,000 sacrifices have been made by the Pakistani nation, army, police and law enforcement agencies in the war against terrorism.
Addressing a workshop in Islamabad, Atta Tarar said that in view of the growing threat of terrorism, the state decided to formulate the National Action Plan as a unanimous decision. All the institutions, the Pakistan Armed Forces, federal and provincial governments got together for counter-terrorism efforts.
Successful Outcomes as a result of the National Action Plan and Policy Reversals
The Information Minister noted that threats from Swat to Balochistan and southern Punjab were addressed under the National Action Plan, resulting in huge achievements in 2-3 years. Peace was established from Karachi to Khyber, which made for conducive environment for investments.
But he said that the policies designed to drive out terrorists and their facilitators and to open dialogue with them were a step back from four years of progress in counter-terrorism. Building a political consensus across all political parties is a must, Atta Tarar said, stressing the need for continued success in this war without this consensus. He highlighted that soft targets like Imambargahs, school buses and trains are commonly targeted by terrorists, giving tragic examples of such incidents.
In his reference to events of the Jaffar Express attack, he said that the security forces had acted with great professionalism and referred to external influence and policy changes, which have led to resurgence in the terror circuit.
International allegations and digital frontiers:
The Federal Minister, in reference to the Pahalgam incident, said that Pakistan faced instant blame but the state had given solid and logical responses. He asked how an FIR could be filed within 30 minutes of the incident and if the Prime Minister’s gesture of having an international inquiry is transparent, then it is India’s story. He said that a country which sacrificed 90,000 lives against the terror could never support it and said arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav from Balochistan is irrefutable proof of Indian interference in the area.
As for the digital realm, Atta Tarar cautioned against the negative narratives and mentalities being propagated by external elements. He added the newly-established National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) was also doing a great job to combat cyber threats, electronic harassment and propaganda which is against the national interest.
In his concluding remarks, the Federal Minister emphasized that building Pakistan’s soft image and creating a robust communication machinery in the country by leveraging the new age technology and Artificial Intelligence are still on the priority agenda of the government.