LAHORE, Pakistan: The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said that regional actors and hostile intelligence agencies are fully involved to use terror as policy tool.
While presiding over a security meeting at Headquarters Lahore Corps on Tuesday at which detailed update on Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad and yesterday’s blast was given, the COAS said that concurrent blasts at Kabul and Lahore are testimony of our stance that both Pakistan and Afghanistan are victims of terrorism and will continue to suffer if these actors are able to use Afghanistan territory with impunity.
The COAS reiterated that Pakistan is ready to help Afghanistan to eliminate terrorist safe heavens in their border areas as we have done on our side.
“We hv fought terrorism as a nation. Key to success is national participation. Report suspicious activity to security forces” COAS (2of2). pic.twitter.com/V9E9qkeMuP
— Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) July 25, 2017
On Monday, 26 persons including nine policemen were martyred while 58 suffered injuries in a suicide blast near Arfa Karim IT Tower on Ferozpur Road in Lahore.
While expressing his grief with victims of Lahore blast and their families, the COAS said that such incidents cannot lower our resolve to eliminate terrorism from its roots.
“We are making gains in breaking connectivity between terror masterminds and their facilitators/executors,” the COAS said according to the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The COAS said that army fully supports and stands with police and other law enforcement agencies (LEAs) towards performance of their role as first responders.
The Army Chief said that we have fought against terrorism as a nation and key to success is national participation by reporting every suspicious activity to security forces.
Later, the COAS visited injured of the blast at General Hospital. The Commander Lahore Corp Lieutenant General Sadiq Ali and Inspector General Police Punjab were also present.
