AAMIR SAEED

ISLAMABAD: Different terrorist outfits have been using sanctuaries in neighboring countries to plan and conduct attacks against Pakistan, said Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif here on Thursday while speaking at a three-day international counter-terrorism forum.

The minister urged the neighboring countries without taking their names that they should take action against the terrorist outfits operating on their soil. Asif said that his government took numerous measures including the military operations to flush out the militants from its soil and this has been helping realize the vision of a democratic Pakistan.

“The terrorists are trying to undermine our sovereignty and no country can ignore attacks on its territorial integrity,” he said, adding that Pakistan’s armed forces have offered unprecedented sacrifices to defend the motherland and “they are ready to offer more sacrifices for the country.”

The minister said the nation has an unwavering resolve to eliminate terrorism and will not allow terrorist to become a threat to the country, adding that the democratic Pakistan would attract private investment to augment its economy.

From operations to reconstruction and rehabilitation, the strategy of the government has been successful in ensuring long-term peace in troubled areas and the global community is well aware of Pakistan’s successes in this regard, he said.

Khawaja Asif said Pakistan’s counterterrorism strategy has been most thorough, robust and successful.

He said that Pakistan wants to live peacefully and maintain friendly relations with immediate neighbors and the world at large as per the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The foreign minister said the whole nation stands united in the fight against terrorism.

Speaking on the occasion, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal said terrorism is a global challenge and collaboration is the way forward to defeat this menace.

He said that terrorism cannot be defeated by blame games and without defusing the conflicts. He stressed the need for systematic approach to permanently address the issue.

The conflict in Afghanistan and growing conflict in the Occupied Kashmir pose serious challenge to diffuse extremism from the region, he said, adding that India is fomenting conflicts in the region and the international community will have to intervene to play its due role in resolving the conflicts.

The minister said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project and other initiatives for regional communication will make Pakistan a hub of trade and other financial activities which will greatly contribute towards the development of the country.

One minute silence was also observed during the concluding session of the forum in memory of those who laid their lives in the war against terror.