Military courts should have been established a long time ago: Nawaz
Nawaz also says government made sincere efforts to improve relations with India but the efforts were not reciprocated
Express News screengrab of Prime MInister Nawaz Sharif.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday said military courts should have been established a long time ago, adding that the courts were in place the last time he was prime minister.
"I don’t think people who slaughter others deserve any sympathy," the premier said, while addressing Pakistanis in Bahrain during his two-day visit to the oil-rich country.
"This is the first time such steps have been taken in Pakistan," Nawaz added.
"Terrorists roamed about freely," he said, in reference to the long gap between his current and past tenures. "Such people should be dealt with."
Speaking about the devastating attack in Peshawar -- in which 150 people were killed, including school children -- Nawaz said the 21st Constitutional Amendment had been signed to ensure that such an incident never takes place again.
He said he was thankful to those who voted in favour of the amendment, and was also thankful to those who abstained as they were at least present in Parliament.
"Pakistan is a country now where mothers are afraid to even send their children to school, a country where families are afraid their relatives may not make it back home," the prime minister said.
In regard to the establishment of military courts, Nawaz said the militants will be tried and if found guilty, they would be hanged in 10-15 days.
"Terrorism has been prevalent in Pakistan for several years," he said.
"The government has tried to conduct dialogue with the militants, but to no avail."
He said the attack on the airport in Karachi was an "eye-opener".
"After that day, we decided that we would not continue with the dialogue process. Shortly after that, we launched Operation Zarb-e-Azb which has been very effective," the prime minister said.
Adding on to the launch of the operation, Nawaz said two horrible incidents had taken place in the aftermath; one was the attack on the Wagah Border and the other one was the attack on the school in Peshawar.
"Several militants were killed as a result of the operation, and some escaped to Afghanistan."
Nawaz also highlighted the relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and reiterated their commitment to fight terror. He also said he was hopeful of the relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan improving, as well as improvements of issues on western borders.
Disappointment with India
On the LoC and Working Boundary violations by India, Nawaz said his government made sincere efforts to improve relations with the new government in India, but the efforts were not reciprocated, according to Radio Pakistan.
He spoke about his attempts to improve bilateral relations, "When I was invited to visit India for their new prime minister's oath-taking ceremony, I made the decision to go without hesitation, whereas they cancelled a scheduled meeting with Pakistan just three days before it was bound to take place."
He said India cancelled the foreign secretary level talks on the pretext of the Pakistani High Commissioner's meeting with the Kashmir leadership, which has been a practice for 60 years.
"I don’t think people who slaughter others deserve any sympathy," the premier said, while addressing Pakistanis in Bahrain during his two-day visit to the oil-rich country.
"This is the first time such steps have been taken in Pakistan," Nawaz added.
"Terrorists roamed about freely," he said, in reference to the long gap between his current and past tenures. "Such people should be dealt with."
Speaking about the devastating attack in Peshawar -- in which 150 people were killed, including school children -- Nawaz said the 21st Constitutional Amendment had been signed to ensure that such an incident never takes place again.
He said he was thankful to those who voted in favour of the amendment, and was also thankful to those who abstained as they were at least present in Parliament.
"Pakistan is a country now where mothers are afraid to even send their children to school, a country where families are afraid their relatives may not make it back home," the prime minister said.
In regard to the establishment of military courts, Nawaz said the militants will be tried and if found guilty, they would be hanged in 10-15 days.
"Terrorism has been prevalent in Pakistan for several years," he said.
"The government has tried to conduct dialogue with the militants, but to no avail."
He said the attack on the airport in Karachi was an "eye-opener".
"After that day, we decided that we would not continue with the dialogue process. Shortly after that, we launched Operation Zarb-e-Azb which has been very effective," the prime minister said.
Adding on to the launch of the operation, Nawaz said two horrible incidents had taken place in the aftermath; one was the attack on the Wagah Border and the other one was the attack on the school in Peshawar.
"Several militants were killed as a result of the operation, and some escaped to Afghanistan."
Nawaz also highlighted the relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and reiterated their commitment to fight terror. He also said he was hopeful of the relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan improving, as well as improvements of issues on western borders.
Disappointment with India
On the LoC and Working Boundary violations by India, Nawaz said his government made sincere efforts to improve relations with the new government in India, but the efforts were not reciprocated, according to Radio Pakistan.
He spoke about his attempts to improve bilateral relations, "When I was invited to visit India for their new prime minister's oath-taking ceremony, I made the decision to go without hesitation, whereas they cancelled a scheduled meeting with Pakistan just three days before it was bound to take place."
He said India cancelled the foreign secretary level talks on the pretext of the Pakistani High Commissioner's meeting with the Kashmir leadership, which has been a practice for 60 years.