Express News screengrab of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
“The Zarb-e-Arb operation will not end till all terrorists are eliminated,” the prime minister asserted in his first address since the operation launched.
While making assurances and justifying the government’s decision, the premier announced that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Abdul Qadir Baloch would be assigned to manage the facilitation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). He also hoped that tribesmen would play an important part in the operation. He also called on religious leaders to play their role in eradicating extremism from the country.
“The people of Pakistan are witnesses to [the government’s] sincere efforts which were not reciprocated from the other side (TTP). [Our countrymen’s] blood was spilled despite our peace efforts,” Nawaz said.
While the government was trying to negotiate with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, they were targeting the country’s children.
He was also careful to add that the decision o launch the operation was taken in consultation with all stakeholders, including armed forced.
The prime minister concluded his address by saying that the at no cost would the country become a safe haven for terrorists, before asking the house to excuse him.
He left before listening to the speeches of Opposition leader Khurshid Shah and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Imran Khan.
Addressing the NA, Opposition leader Shah said we should all take ownership of the military operation. “No compromises should be made. We are with our military leadership,” he said.
While addressing Parliament, Imran Khan, whose party announced to support the operation earlier on Monday, said that they support the army; however, he expressed some apprehension at the same time. There are two solutions to the problem faced by the country – one was political and the other was military, Imran said. He added that the past dictates that military operations have not worked.
He also insisted that after the dialogue process, suicide attacks had decreased in number, while the economy had improved by 33%.
“In my opinion, the prime minister should have headed the dialogue process himself. Now that an operation has been announced, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government will suffer due to the backlash,” Imran pointed out.
He also questioned why his party was not taken into confidence prior to the announcement of the operation and said they learnt of the news through the TV. The prime minister should summon an All Parties Conference for further consultation on this issue, the PTI chief suggested.
Meanwhile, Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Farooq Sattar said the prime minister should directly address the nation. “We support this military operation and we should accumulate support from the public,” he said.
COMMENTS (46)
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@Aamer kwaja like you did to the Bangladeshis?
@The Failed Rebel: WHat use it would be getting Kashmir after losing Pakistan to TTP.Glad that most Pakistanis know their priorities except some failed rebels.Rebellions with perverted ideologies never succeed.
@cmann: All in due time. First priority should have been eliminating Kashmir of the Indian occupation. Afterall in the course of the last 60 years, Indians have committed far worst atrocities in the occupied Kashmir. We could have dealt with TTP later.
I wish and pray that only casualty of this war is Evil and no inocent blood would be spilled in the war zone or in the cities. I support Pak Army but cant support Nawaz as his empire is raised on lies and I cant support him, Pak Army Jawans have given their lives for their motherland while these poloticians have only their and their families intrests at hear. Pakistan Zindabad
@Rex Minor:
Poor Rex from Waziristan. He was hoping that the Indian PM would be snubbed and rejected by US. Did not happen, they rolled the red carpet instead, he was hoping Saudis would deny oil to India, did not happen. He was hoping the Wazirs could carve out a separate territory for itself instead of which they are being bombed to smithereens.
Too bad. You reap what you saw.
@Waheed Ok 18% so let me rephrase, people will not ask what this 18% of budget is used for as it is unaudited but people will question trade with india that will have benefits righat away. Happy!
The enemy should not be underestimated.Great emphasis should be placed on human intelligence. High profile bombing would not eliminate these terrorists. All borders must be hermetically sealed. House to house threadbare search operation should be carried out. All rocket launchers or higher weapons must be confiscated. Technology must be deployed for fool proof 24h round the clock surveillance of All public places.
@saeed: And you will blame PM if the operation fail but credit army if it succeeds. Wont you? For me the credit and discredit goes hand by hand.
@One Pakistan: "TTP thugs are foreign funded or criminal enterprises". Remember the gift of US$1.5 billion that you were so happy about?
I do hope I am wrong, but this appears to me to be a hit-and-run type of operation. I just don't see clearly stated objectives or a defined battle-plan. Closing the Afghan side of the border is crucial and so are joint operations with ISAF and/or Afghan forces. The way Afghanistan has been intimated makes it all look very casual. The PM seems to be in the dark and does not seem to be running the campaign. As an Indian, any action taken against LeT/JuD, LeJ interests me, however it appears that terror machinery would be kept intact.
@Mr H Chaudhry. I have only one comment to make. Please reconcile. Army Budget is18% only. Even ask Ishaq Dar. So please stop the nonesence / baqiath of geo to gumrah Pl.
@The Failed Rebel: Ah!!!Ideology??You mean killing others to get to Hooristan,as if God takes a cue from them.Is there any anti-social activity these criminals have not done-from killing of children ,women, innocent children and legitimate upholders of the law;blowing themselves up to cause the maximum causalities,so in crowded places,buses,schools,mosques,churches;spreading sectarianism and chaos in the country.Just shouting "Allahu Akbar" while blowing themselves up to kill others doesn't translate into a ticket to Jannat, as these murderers surmise and hope.Off course,people like you encourage them to continue their mayhem against your fellow citizens.They have the option to lay down their arms,and live and let live.But perverted minds have perverted logic,and they have to pay for their crimes against society.
Hats off for Nawaz Sharif and brave army.
@Kashmir: Yeah they prefer to rape you instead of bombing u, in the end u can die of shame
This is a difficult time for the nation. The expenditure on this war may affect the budget of federal government. So Imran will get another chance to criticize when there will be deficit in budget. But we have fight this war and we have to win this war. Nawaz Sharif has taken the right decision. Pakistan Army Zindabad.
Entire nation should encourage the Government and Armed Forces. This is not the time of doing politics. The situation needs unity among the people and all political parties. Imran, Jamaat Islami, Sheikh Rasheed and Tahir ul Qadri should avoid politics of agitation. If they don't leave their dirty politics, nation will never forgive them.
All my prayers and best wishes for the government and Pak Army.
@Rex Minor: This is something my people don't understand at all. They will be the ones dying at the end. Sharif will pack his bags and leave for England where a major part of his business is based. Do not get me wrong though, I am all in for civilians and army which is exactly why I discourage an operation. Because you cannot fight an ideology with a gun. In the end, it's going to be the civilians and soldiers facing the backlash. (SWAT is a different story since the people over there were themselves asking government and army alike for an operation) After 1000 years of peace with the tribes, we have forced them to leave their homes, several innocents lives would be lost. On the other hand the PM is making friends with a nation committing far more brutal acts in Kashmir. I wish my people could understand the bigger picture...
My full support for the brave Prime Minister. Allah bless him.
@Rex I doubt it as the real Army strongmen don't overthrow government but make them take ownership of military actions. The overthrowing of governments is done by coward and losers like mush who don't take political ownership for military actions, fails miserably in operations like Kargil, and than overthrow governments to protect themselves.
I honestly believe / hope, Raheel Shareef is not a rat like Musharraf and time of overthrowing governments is over.
pakistan can't kill thousands of innocent muslims!!! its against islam.
@unbelievable: he wanted to know so that kpk can provide shelter etc for IDPs
Well done. Operation must continue till all the terrorists are annihilated from our soil. IK has hardly got any sense. He is not worth to be listened anymore.
@Raj - USA: the reason he left to go home and sleep he probably so tired after reading from a sheet that his brother wrote for him
Hats off to Pakistan Army who made this operation a reality. Else NS and IK were stuck in negotiations with these terrorists.
@Zara: NS is incompetent, thats all. We are all Pakistani. Everyone knows these TTP thugs are foreign funded or criminal enterprises. We need to stand together and we will defeat them.
@Shuaib This goes to the roots of Pakistan problems. Where people want every thing done for them and they still whine. Fact is that days of "People Friendly" budgets are over, if there ever were. There is simply no economic theory that supports Governments do every damn social welfare. The job of government is to provide a platform, infrastructure and framework for people to succeed on their own. While PMLN by no means a clean party or a visionary party, they have correct macro economic principles. These principles require investments in mega infrastructure projects which help people and goods to move efficiently and provide new frontiers of economic success.
To summarize, people are just expecting everything from Government and by this virtue they will never be happy from Nawaz. People do not question 30% of military budgets and what could be done with it but they do questions trade routes with India which is the rising global economic power. People simply don't understand concept lowered costs when trading next door. This all needs to be fixed for people to like NS which will not happen overnight. Hoping his economic revival and infrastructure development will have enough impact for people to at least realizing long term benefits.
The Prime Minister should blame no one else this time when he is removed by the military takeover, under the new strong man from army!!!
Rex Minor
Who bombs there own people?
Even Hindoo India doesn't bomb us!
@ahmer Finally, French revolution has started in Pakistan.. It might get secular in few years.. acche din aane wale hai..
I.K is so right. it's KPK that will suffer due to this operation. Punjab on the other side is safe. Why doesn't government take action against lashkar-e-jhangwi and other such organizations coz they don't want to ruin punjab's peace. And mr. PM should have courage to listen to others.
If people still don't support PML-N then God knows what he has to do make people support him.
@fappy: Kill the terrorists increase secuirity and get more foreign investment.
I hope this is successful and our military shifts away from policy of "strategic assets".
best news ever......i hope we eliminate this menace once and for all. The fierce tribesmen is only a myth created to scare people. These thugs run at the first sign of a resolved campaign. They should be followed and eliminated. During this time, the madressahs should also be eliminated and any person in hate speech be arrested. The constitution should be upgraded to make this into a secular state so that these so called islamist thugs can never misuse religion and malign the peaceful nature of islam. Religion is a personal thing and should remain personal. If God wanted everyone to be muslims, he would have made sure they were all muslims. When he has given the choice, let it be.
PM had no option when the Army stood at his door to take ownership, make a bold decision,
Agree. . . but why did you not support similar operations when done by others?
Its an operation conceived and executed by Army. PM is just taking the credit. If the fall out are negative, he will blame Army like Kargil.
Leave Pakhtuns alone.
Pretty soon we will find people and certain clerics on Pak TV channels shedding tears for Taliban conveniently forgetting their past. That will remind me of a plea before a judge by a murderer, who killed both his parents, to be spared on humanitarian grounds because he was an orphan!
Well done Nawaz Sharif. I like the way he left before listening to Imran Khan.
The PM will get support from everybody except motor-mouth Imran Khan. He takes the word "opposition" too literally.
Mr PM make the hate speech illegal the extremism will disappear. That's the tool these terrorists use against everyone. Pass a law, not a convenient operation after losing lives of 50,000 Pakistanis. Yes we are behind our armed forces but what next? what are the plans for the future?
Very well decision, PM. go go go Whole Pakistan behind you