Army vows to take all-out measures for safety of Chinese citizens in Pakistan

• Nation had defeated nefarious designs of Pakistan’s adversaries: COAS.
• Terrorism trans-national threat, instrumentalised by enemies: PM.
• Participants reiterate resolve to combat terrorism using all resources.

Strongly reacting to Shangla terrorist attack which claimed six lives including five Chinese nationals, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir has said that the military "shall not leave any stone unturned to ensure that every foreign citizen, especially the Chinese nationals — contributing to the prosperity of Pakistan — is safe and secure in the country".

The army chief reiterated the resolve of armed forces to eliminate the scourge of terrorism afflicting the country during an emergency meeting chaired on Wednesday by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the aftermath of Shangla’s Besham city terrorist attack on Chinese nationals working on Dasu Hydel Power Project, read a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office today.

The army chief said that the nation had steadfastly fought the war on terror for the last two decades and had defeated the nefarious designs of Pakistan’s adversaries.

Noting the recent surge in terrorist incidents, COAS Munir remarked that the enemies of Pakistan had once again "underestimated the resilience and grit of the state and the people of Pakistan".

He added: “We shall fight terrorism till every terrorist casting an evil eye on Pakistan, its people and their guests, is eliminated; we shall not leave any stone unturned to ensure that every foreign citizen, especially the Chinese nationals, contributing to the prosperity of Pakistan, is safe and secure in Pakistan. We shall fight terrorism with all our might, to the very end.”

The high-level meeting was also attended by the federal ministers, chief ministers, chief secretaries and inspector generals of police (IGPs) of respective provinces to discuss the heinous attack on innocent civilians working on a development project, meant to contribute to energy and water security of Pakistan.

PM Shehbaz offered deepest condolences to the families of the innocent victims of the attack and assured them that the perpetrators of this barbaric act would be brought to justice swiftly.

He underscored the enduring bond of brotherhood between the people of Pakistan and China and conveyed that the whole nation was saddened by the loss of Chinese lives.

He also appreciated the alacrity with which law enforcement agencies and locals responded to the attack, saving many precious lives which could have been lost. He instructed for a thorough joint investigation to be conducted, utilising all resources of the state.

The premier said: “Terrorism is a trans-national threat that has been instrumentalised by the enemies of Pakistan to stymie Pakistan’s progress and development. The acts targeting Pakistan-China friendship are particularly aimed at creating mistrust between the two iron brothers.”

Participants of the meeting expressed resolute commitment to completely rooting out terrorism from the country.

They also expressed serious concerns over sanctuaries available to terrorists across the borders and emphasised upon the need for a regional approach for countering terrorism.

The session concluded with the participants reiterating the resolve to comprehensively combat terrorism employing all resources available to the state.