Caretaker Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi said on Thursday that the government was resolute in its commitment to combat terrorism on the soil of this country.
He was delivering his speech as chief guest at the launching ceremony of the Annual Security Assessment Report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).
“On behalf of the federal government, let me assure you that we are constantly working to address the issue of terrorism through various hard and soft measures”, he said.
He said that Pakistan had repeatedly asked interim Afghan government to address Pakistan’s counter-terrorism concerns, especially the space available to militant groups like TTP to operate in and from Afghanistan.
“Pakistan expects a positive response from the Afghan government. Pakistan has also raised the issue of access
to modern weapons in Afghanistan to these militant groups besides involvement of Afghan nationals in anti-state violence in Pakistan”, he said adding without addressing the issue of terrorism, both countries could not embark on the journey of economic growth and development.
Murtaza Solangi said on Thursday that there would be no negotiations with armed terrorist groups.
“There will be no talks with terrorists as long as they are armed and do not accept the constitution of Pakistan”, Murtaza Solangi said categorically. He said that JUI Chief Maulana Fazl ur Rehman’s visit to Afghanistan was unofficial.
In a statement, he said that before leaving for his visit, Fazl ur Rehman took a briefing from various institutions.
“If any politician wants to play a constructive role for the improvement of relations between the two countries, we have no objection”, Murtaza Solangi said.
The minister said that government will use the insights from this report to refine its strategies and ensure the safety and security of our citizens. He applauded the dedicated team of researchers at PICSS for its tireless efforts for producing a comprehensive and insightful security report.
“Your commitment to understanding and addressing complex security challenges is commendable, and your work forms the backbone of informed policy decisions”, he maintained.
