Nation united to fight terrorist ideology, says Gen Bajwa during visit to Peshawar

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday said the nation is united and will fight terrorist ideology together and directed troops to remain vigilant in the wake of recent terrorist incidents.

The Army chief visited Upper Dir, Malakand Division where Corps Commander, Peshawar Corps, Lt-Gen Noman Mahmood welcomed Gen Bajwa, said an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release.

The Army chief was briefed on stabilisation operations and border management. Gen Bajwa appreciated the performance of the troops on border fencing in harsh, rocky and difficult terrain.

“Border security and border management systems are a true reflection of Pakistan’s commitment to peace,” he said. The Army chief paid tribute to the soldiers for their efforts for peace in the region.

Later on, Gen Bajwa also visited the children and others injured in the madrassa blast at Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar and inquired about their health.

On the occasion, the Army chief said innocent children were targeted in the Army Public School Peshawar on December 16, 2014. On the occasion of Kashmir Black Day on October 27, he said the enemy once again bathed the innocent children of the madrassa in blood to revive their dark history and nefarious intentions.

The children included a large number of Afghan refugee children, he added.

“Yesterday,” he said, “the entire nation showed unparalleled solidarity in rejecting the terrorists’ statement, and today we were united with the same spirit. Our grief was shared in all the times where the enemy was the same yesterday and today”.

The Army chief added: “Yesterday, the nation rejected the enemy and defeated the terrorist ideology. Even today we are united and will fight it together. I have come to express my solidarity and determination, especially to share the grief of these children, teachers and families of the madrassa.”

Gen Bajwa vowed: “We will not rest until we bring the terrorists and their facilitators to justice. Both Afghanistan and Pakistan had faced terrorism in the last two decades. Pakistan opened its hearts and doors to the Afghan-refugee brothers.

“We always share the sorrows and joys of our Afghan brothers. The peace of Afghanistan and Pakistan is intertwined.”

Gen Bajwa mentioned that terrorism had no religion whereas their ideology was to spread terror and create an atmosphere of fear in the society. He added the attack on the madrassa was in fact anti-Islamic.

“They [terrorists] target innocent civilians, including madrassas, pulpits, mosques, Imambargahs, churches, temples, educational institutions and law enforcement agencies. Pakistan had always wanted peace in Afghanistan and would continue to co-operate fully,” the Army chief said.

The Afghan refugee brothers, he said, in Pakistan must also be vigilant and stay away from such hostile forces so that they did not intentionally and unknowingly be used in terrorist activities. “Pak-Afghan border fence is a fence of peace. It is designed to prevent the illegal movement of terrorists on both sides of the border,” Gen Bajwa said.

He said both Pakistan and Afghanistan could not afford any instability and chaos in the current situation, as the consequences would be dire. “Our hearts used to beat together and we are still connected. Comprehension and unity is the need of the hour.”

He said: “We are striving to give a secure, stable and prosperous Pakistan to the future generations.”