Peshawar: Vowing not to show any distinction between good or bad Taliban, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today announced that Pakistan will have a national plan within a week to combat militancy, a day after 148 people, mostly children, were killed in a Taliban attack in Peshawar.
Sharif, who chaired an All Party Conference here in the wake of the massacre at the Army Public School, said, “Today's conference has decided to draft an action against terrorists and act upon it immediately.”
Addressing the media, Sharif flanked by Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan condemned the attack terming it as worst attack in Pakistan's history. “This heinous incident is an example of the barbarism whose example cannot be found in the history,” he said.
“We announce that there will be no differentiation between ‘good' and ‘bad' Taliban and have resolved to continue the war against terrorism till the last terrorist is eliminated,” he said, adding “the fight against terrorism is our fight and to counter it, a holistic roadmap is needed”.
“We have all unanimously decided that a committee comprising of all parliamentary parties under Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar will prepare a plan of action which will be submitted to national leadership within seven days,” the Prime Minister, who had rushed here following the attack, said.
Member of armed forces, intelligence and political parties will be a part of the committee. On the ongoing military operation against militants in North Waziristan, Sharif said, “Operation Zarb-e-Azb is continuing successfully but what we have decided today encompasses how to tackle terrorism from the whole country.” Regarding lifting the ban on death penalty in terror cases, Sharif said, “We have proposed terror cases should be expedited.”“If terrorists are not punished, then who will be punished?” he quipped.
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Responding to a question regarding PTI's postponement of his countrywide shutdown, Sharif said, “I am thankful to Imran Khan for attending this meeting and I invited him for tea”. “Dialogue can resolve all sorts of issues in democracy.” “I am gratefully to the national leadership for showing the unity and confidence in me,” he said. “To defeat terrorism we must unite...our armed forces have given many sacrifices to defeat terrorism and root out their hideouts,” he said.
