Summary Says the war against terrorism is more important than the wars Pakistan fought in 1965 and 1971.
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - Minister for States and Frontier Regions Abdul Qadir Baloch has said that there is no room for failure in the war against terrorism.
Addressing a news conference in Islamabad on Tuesday, Abdul Qadir Baloch said the entire nation will have to stand by the IDPs. He urged the nation to play its role by taking active participation in relief activities, so to win the hearts and minds of the IDPs.
The minister said the government has ample resources to tackle this issue alone, no matter any person comes forward or not.
He said it is not difficult to eliminate the hide outs of terrorists but the real challenge will be the honorable return of the affected people to their homes. He said so far about one million IDPs have been registered, while NADRA has verified 50,000 families.
The minister said terrorism has badly affected the economy of the country, and in fact the war against terrorism is more important than the wars Pakistan fought in 1965 and 1971. He reiterated that Pakistan is an investment paradise, but due to this menace, neither international investment is coming, nor local investors are ready to invest.
He said there could be targeted operations in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and other major cities.
Responding to a question, the minister said after completion of the operation, it will at least take three months for return and rehabilitation of IDPs.
Earlier, adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz chaired an inter-ministerial meeting to review the issue of rehabilitation of IDPs.
Secretary Economic Affairs Division gave a presentation outlining various options, based on past experience.
The representative of SAFRON informed the meeting that FATA secretariat was already in the process of preparing a damage assessment report, on the basis of which needs assessment in terms of rehabilitation and reconstruction, would be carried out.
The meeting was attended by Secretary Economic Affairs Division, Chairman NDMA and representatives of SAFRON and Military Operations Directorate.
