Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has stressed the need for a national consensus to carry out an anti-terrorism operation, days after a suicide bombing inside a mosque claimed the lives of 100 people and injured 200 others.
«We need to put our home in order. It is not the war of any sect, but of the whole nation,» Asif told Pakistan’s General Assembly, as reported by Geo TV.
In this sense, the Defense Minister remarked that the country «is alone in the war against terrorism», while wishing that the situation in Afghan territory improves because «peace in Afghanistan and Pakistan are interrelated».
For his part, the Minister of Interior, Rana Sanaullah, joined in the condemnation, regretting that «this attack is against Pakistan». He reported that the rescue operation in Peshawar was over, having managed to remove all the debris and the bodies of the victims.
Meanwhile, he reaffirmed that the death toll may rise, as 27 of the wounded are in critical condition.
The ministers have brought to the present several attacks perpetrated years ago, such as the one that took place in a military school in 2014 that claimed the lives of 150 people and that «had not yet been forgotten», adding that «several similar incidents occurred» in the region that «devoured numerous precious lives».
Police in some Pakistani cities have stepped up security measures on Tuesday as officers in Punjab, the country’s second largest province, announced a foiled attack.
Between 15 and 20 armed people tried to attack a police station, but have been controlled by the police force, so that some «terrorists have suffered injuries in retaliatory fire,» reports Geo TV.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
