Military vows to take fight to terrorists

In their first conference under the new army chief, the Corps Commanders discussed eradication of terror from the country among other matters of professional and organisational significance.

By Staff Reporter

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military Wednesday voiced its resolve to take the fight to the terrorists of every stripe, reflecting its new chief’s sharp focus on the menace seen returning to haunt the country for the last several months.

The development came at the 254^th Corps Commanders’ Conference at the GHQ at Rawalpindi, presided over by Chief of Army Staff Gen Asim Munir.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued a brief press note on the conclusion of the two-day huddle that began Tuesday, saying the meeting undertook a comprehensive review of professional and organisational matters of the Army.

“It was resolved to fight against terrorists without any distinction and eliminate this menace as per the aspirations of people of the Pakistan”, the ISPR said.

Pakistan’s armed forces carried out a massive military operation against Islamist militants endemic to the north-western part of the country from 2014 to 2017.

Operation Zarb-e-Azb was seen as a resounding success in Pakistan’s war on terror, leading to a significant decline in terrorism. However, some elements of the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) evaded retribution by slipping across the border into Afghanistan, and finding safe harbour in the neighbouring country.

For the last several months, TTP militants have been seen returning from Afghanistan to their native areas in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, giving fresh impetus to terrorist activity in the country.

Coming against this backdrop, the military’s sharp focus is likely to welcomed by Pakistanis of all religious denominations and political affiliations.

This was the 254^th conference of Pakistani Army’s Corps Commanders and the first under the new Chief of Army Staff Gen Asim Munir, who took the command baton from Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on November 29.