Nawaz wants new force to eliminate terrorists, extortionists

LAHORE: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Friday said the state had the right to take pre-emptive steps for the protection of its citizens and a special counterterrorism force (SCTF) would be formed soon in the Punjab to eliminate extortionists and target killers. Nawaz said this while chairing a meeting here on Friday in which he was given a presentation on the SCTF in the Punjab.Punjab Chief Minister Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Khan Baig and officials of various law enforcement agencies also attended the meeting. The prime minister directed that the new force should be raised immediately with a new command structure and be professionally sound, competent and adequately paid. He said anti-terrorism force structure would be separate from that of police. The prime minister said a new force was needed to deliver in the right direction and he expected that this (new force) will help in eliminating extortionists and target killers.He said:”Law enforcement agencies need to show zero tolerance for heinous crimes. We have promulgated laws which would deal with the enemies of the state within the frameworkof our Constitution and based on principles laid down by our founding fathers.” Terrorists, target killers and extortionists would be dealt with an iron hand and they would be brought to justice, he added. The prime minister emphasised that the writ of the state had to be ensured at all costs. “Target killers and extortionists must understand that the rules of engagement for such a war are different and strict,” he added. Meanwhile, addressing PML-N parliamentarians, party workers and people from various walks of life after offering Eidul Azha prayers here at Jati Umra, Raiwind on Wednesday, Nawaz expressed his firm resolve to overcome the prevailing challenges of terrorism, extremism and energy crises with the support of people. He said the PML-N took the charge of government when the country was facing a number of critical challenges.“By the grace of Allah Almighty, we are determined to make a bright future of Pakistan through hard work to come to the expectations and aspirations of the people” he said. He said the government had taken all political parties on board for preparing the common agenda to eradicate the menace of terrorism from the country. He said the government adopted the dialogue process to restore peace in country and expressed the hope that the efforts of talks would be successful. Talking about the Karachi operation, Nawaz Sharif said the government was going to introduce new laws to counter crimes and terrorism which would ensure punishment to every criminal who killed innocent people. He said the criminals would be treated according to their crimes and misdeeds irrespective of their party affiliation. “We are going to take bold decisions for the sake of restoring peace and maintaining law and order in Karachi and everywhere in the country,” he added.He was of the opinion that eradication of terrorism and other crimes were key to restore peace in Karachi and other parts of the country in order to improve the investment and end the economic dependency on others. The prime minister appreciated the performance of law enforcement agencies in Karachi which decreased crimes to some extent like kidnappings for ransom, target killings and extortion. Nawaz said the energy crises had become a major challenge which badly affected the economy of the country adding that the government was fully committed to overcoming it during its five years constitutional term. Referring to the recent increase in power prices, the PM said he approved it with a heavy heart as there was no other way out. He said the prices of electricity would be reduced after starting production from new power projects. He added that the government had launched an operation against power theft to overcome the shortage of electricity. He said the government inherited a number of challenges from the previous regimes as the previous rulers did not bother to address these; however, he added, the PML-N had sincere intention to bring the country out of crises like menace of terrorism, lawlessness, energy crises and poor economy. He deplored that no ruler during last 13 years had evolved a national strategy to overcome terrorism, energy crises, lawlessness, poverty and unemployment which pushed the country into a critical state.“We have a national agenda to eliminate terrorism from every area and restore peace to bring stability and prosperity in the country,” the PM maintained. He urged the nation to come forward to strengthen the government’s hands in its efforts to bring peace, stability and prosperity in country. Former President Justice (R) Rafiq Tarar, ex-DG ISI Lt. Gen. (R) Javed Nasir, PML-N leader Hamza Shahbaz Sharif and ex IGP Rana Maqbool Ahmad were also present on the occasion.