Islamabad: An emergency meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif in the aftermath of Besham terrorist attack on Chinese nationals working on Dassu Hydel Power Project. The meeting was attended by the Federal Ministers, Chief of the Army Staff, Chief Ministers, Chief Secretaries and Inspector Generals of Police 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.

The PM 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.

PM 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. PM appreciated the alacrity with which Law Enforcement Agencies and locals responded to the attack, saving many precious lives which could have been lost. PM instructed for a thorough joint investigation to be conducted, utilizing all resources of the State.

The PM stated, “Terrorism is a trans-national threat that has been instrumentalized 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.

The participants expressed serious concerns over sanctuaries available to terrorists across the borders and emphasized upon the need for a regional approach for countering terrorism.

During the meeting, the COAS reiterated the resolve of armed forces to eliminate the scourge of terrorism afflicting the country. COAS stated 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 remarked that the enemies of Pakistan had once again underestimated the resilience and grit of the State and the people of Pakistan. He said, “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 meeting concluded with the participants reiterating the resolve to comprehensively combat terrorism employing all resources available to the State.