Facilitators of terrorists not to be spared: Nisar

Says militants have crossed border; calls for unity to meet challenge

MARDAN: Condemning the attack on the district courts in Mardan, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Saturday said that though the militants had been defeated, militancy was still a threat.

“The militants have escaped across the border but we will not spare their facilitators,” he said while speaking at a news conference here. The minister said that Bannu, Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi and Charsadda districts were on the hit-list of militants, who wanted to create resentment among the people.

“The militants are now hitting soft targets in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Karachi and Punjab. Such cowardly acts cannot dampen our resolve,” he added.

He said courts, schools and other institutions couldn’t be closed due to terror activities. He added that no civilised person could target innocent lawyers, children and civilians.

Chaudhry Nisar said militancy spread like a wildfire in the region after the 9/11 attacks in the United States and innocent people were killed in acts of subversion. He added that even the red zone in Islamabad wasn’t safe. He said the government ordered the launch of military operation Zarb-e-Azb against militants in the North Waziristan tribal region when the negotiations process failed to restore peace.

The minister said terrorism cannot be uprooted completely, but the terrorists had been defeated and unity was required to bring an end to acts of sabotage. He said security forces, police, Frontier Corps and intelligence agencies were striving to win this war. He said he couldn’t criticise anyone.

Nisar maintained that he had never accused the provincial government of incompetence. “We cannot blame others for our weakness,” he noted.

“The war against terrorism is being fought to save the future of Pakistan. We mustn’t play politics over this issue,” he added.

Nisar said compromise on security would not be tolerated and those found guilty of negligence would be punished. “I appreciate the courage of the people of Mardan as they are not frustrated,” he said.

Earlier, the minister visited the District Headquarters Hospital in Mardan and inquired after the injured. He also visited the district courts and also offered Fateha in the bar room for the slain lawyers.