Battling on: Nawaz hails successes in Zarb-e-Azb, Karachi operation

Says no armed militia to be allowed in Pakistan

PESHAWAR/ ISLAMABAD:

The Zarb-e-Azb military offensive in North Waziristan and the Karachi Operation against criminals in the financial hub of the country have been yielding promising results, said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday.

“We are eliminating terrorists and criminals with full force and will not rest until the elimination of the last terrorist,” the premier said in a meeting at the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor House. “No armed militia will be allowed to operate in the country.”

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leaders and parliamentarians from K-P also attended the meeting, whose aim was to discuss the reservations of party leaders and workers in K-P and to devise a plan for the upcoming local government polls.

“The prime minister assured to address the grievances of party leaders regarding developmental schemes in the province,” said a PML-N K-P leader. “The prime minister also said [Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief] Imran Khan had promised to build a naya (new) K-P but he failed. Now we shall make a naya K-P from the Centre.”

He said PM Nawaz had directed them to form committees for the upcoming LG polls, adding that the premier himself would visit all the divisions of the province to meet party activists.

The PML-N leader said the government had adopted the policy of improving relations with neighbouring countries, particularly Afghanistan, which, he said, has helped eliminate terrorist networks in both the countries. “This would help us achieve a stable and prosperous region.”



The K-P parliamentarians informed the party chief about different matters pertaining to their areas. They told the premier that the provincial government was not taking an interest in developmental projects or in providing basic facilities to the people.

PML-N K-P General Secretary Rahmat Salam Khattak said the party would enter into alliances with other political parties at district level after evaluating the other parties’ strength in a particular district and assessing the possibilities of a strong alliance.

The premier also met and condoled with the family of Sardar Khan Mohmand, the PML-N youth wing president who was shot dead in Peshawar on March 18.

Energy crisis

PM Nawaz highlighted the importance of energy for developing the country’s economy and said the government was taking all possible steps to overcome the energy crisis. “The day is not far when Pakistanis would hear good news in this regard.”

The premier said a country’s economy was heavily dependent on energy, adding that after overcoming the challenge, “we shall see improvement in the industrial and agricultural sectors”.

This would also allow the government to increase spending on the social sector to facilitate the common man, he said.

Effective economic policies and untiring efforts are producing tangible results, which are being acknowledged by global rating agencies as well as the international media, said PM Nawaz.

Karachi situation

Sources privy to the premier’s meetings in Karachi a day earlier said it has been decided that the crackdown in the city should not be an arm-twisting manoeuvre but rather an attempt to rectify past mistakes.

They said the Sindh government had stopped political transfers and postings in the police department as well as creating obstacles in police operations in Karachi.

The police used to be reluctant to crack down on criminals in the city, but the situation has now improved, they added.

Sources said both PM Nawaz and military commanders have ruled out any chance of governor’s rule in Sindh until the 2018 general elections.

The premier and military commanders have decided to let Ishratul Ebad continue as the Sindh governor for the time being, they added.


Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2015.