Increase in terrorist incidents after fall of Kabul: Bilawal

ISLAMABAD, (APP): Addressing the launch ceremony of ‘Digitised system under Foreign Minister’s Change Management Reforms’, foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, on Tuesday, said that through extensive engagement with the international community, Pakistan has achieved substantially on the diplomatic front during the past fifteen months.

Later, while answering a question regarding terrorist organizations, he maintained that writ of the state would be established at all costs and the government would not take steps to appease the militant or terrorist outfits.

He said that he had suggested to the prime minister to convene an Apex Committee meeting to address the issue of terrorist and criminal incidents in the country.

He said that there was an increase in the terrorist incidents after the fall of Kabul. The latest arms and ammunition left behind by the foreign forces had fallen into the hands of terrorist outfits and criminal organizations, and even with the dacoits which posed a challenge to the government, he added.

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The foreign minister, to a question, further said that they expected the Afghan interim government to take actions against the terrorist organizations and honour their commitment made with the international community not to allow their soil for terrorist activities against any country under the Doha Agreement.

He said Pakistan’s stance was clear and it had demanded the Afghan interim set up to curb terrorism, as cooperation against the menace of terrorism was in the interest of both countries. Afghanistan had no standing army, anti-terrorists force or border management force which caused the capacity issues to face terrorism, he opined.

“In the past, we had faced the threats and together will face them,” he added. Pakistan, he said, was ready to assist them as they had the capacity issues to deal with such threats.

The foreign minister, to another question, said that the Pakistan Peoples Party believed that decisions regarding the interim set-up and elections should be taken to strengthen the civilian institutions and the democratic system in the country.

They believed that all issues confronted by the country could be addressed through a democratic dispensation which would ensure the political and economic stability, he said, adding the general polls should be held on time so that the people could exercise their right.