PM Nawaz wants terrorism stamped out

Says the people of Pakistan understand the pain of the French nation

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday lambasted terrorists as ‘the enemies of humanity’ and called for their eradication from Pakistan and the rest of the world,  as he renewed his condemnation of last week’s attacks in Paris.

The prime minister expressed these views during a meeting with French Ambassador to Pakistan Martine Dorance, who called on him at the PM House on Friday. According to an official statement, the PM said that those responsible for the Paris tragedy were enemies of Islam.



On November 13, 129 people were killed and 368 people were wounded in the French capital in a series of coordinated terrorist attacks which were later claimed by the ultraorthodox Islamic State (IS) or Da’ish.



PM Nawaz said the people of Pakistan understood the pain of the French nation. “We took the decision to take the terrorists to task after long deliberations, consultations and support of all state institutions, including parliament. Today the whole nation is behind the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb and the National Action Plan [against terrorism],” the prime minister was quoted as saying.

Ambassador Dorance said French people were thankful to the Pakistani government and the nation for their support and sympathy. “We are touched by the response of common people and really are moved by the messages of condolence received from students of Peshawar’s Army Public School (APS),” Dorance said. In December last year, heavily armed terrorists had stormed the APS and killed more than 140 people, mostly students.



Secretary to PM appointed

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday also elevated his most trustworthy bureaucrat, Fawad Hasan Fawad, as his secretary. Fawad had replaced Javed Aslam, who retired last week.

The government has notified Fawad and he has taken the charge of his new assignment. As secretary to the PM, Fawad will also act as secretary general in chief.

All federal secretaries of various ministries – including finance, water and power, oil and gas, defence and interior – will move their files to the PM office through his office. Fawad is advisor of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz’s (PML-N) core team which has been involved in devising its development agenda.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2015.