DNA
ASTANA: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Thursday that state terrorism should be condemned unambiguously as he stressed that rooting out militancy is a precondition for economic development.
Addressing the SCO summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, he said: “Terrorism, whether committed by individuals, groups, or states, must be fought collectively in a comprehensive fashion.”
The prime minister’s remarks came at the regional summit, which was also attended by India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar. The Pakistani government has repeatedly said that the neighbouring nation sponsors terrorism in the country.
In a recent breakthrough for the security forces, they arrested two high-value Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), one of whom confessed that India provides financial support to the militants in Pakistan.
Pakistan, which has fought three wars with India, also has a New Delhi spy Kulbhushan Yadav in custody since 2016, who sponsored terrorism in Balochistan.
Lending further credence to Islamabad’s claims, the British daily The Guardian reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Indian government “ordered killings” on Pakistan’s soil.
In January, Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Qazi also said that the government has credible evidence linking Indian agents to the killings of two Pakistani citizens on its soil.
In his speech today, Prime Minister Shehbaz said: “Terrorism, in all its forms and manifestation, including state terrorism must be condemned in clear and unambiguous terms. There can neither be any justification for the killing of innocent people nor should the bogey of terrorism be used for political point scoring.”
