Terrorists will not be allowed to dictate terms: General Kayani

The News Tuesday, September 17, 2013 RAWALPINDI: Rejecting the outlawed terrorist outfit TTP’s demand for withdrawal of troops from the tribal areas and release of their prisoners as a pre-condition for peace talks with the government, army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Monday said the army had the ability and the will to take the fight to terrorists in accordance with the will of the nation and at any cost. The statement from the top general came a day after two senior military officers were killed by a Taliban bomb in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the military is fighting al-Qaeda and Taliban-led militants. Reaffirming the army’s support to the political process, the COAS unequivocally said terrorists will not be allowed to take advantage of it and vowed to spare no effort to bring the perpetrators of these cowardly acts of terrorism to justice. Gen. Kayani again emphasised that while “it is understandable to give peace a chance through a political process, but no one should have any misgivings that we will let terrorists coerce us into accepting their terms”. He lauded the ultimate sacrifice of the martyrs and those injured in the cowardly acts of terrorism which took place in Fata during the last two days. He paid rich tributes to the exemplary courage, total commitment to duty and demonstration of highest leadership qualities by Major General Sanaullah Khan, General Officer Commanding (GOC) in the Swat valley, where the army sent 30,000 troops in 2009 to expel the Taliban fighters. Kayani said the General Officer Commanding (GOC) had set a towering example of leading from the front which was the hallmark of the Pakistan Army leadership. Acknowledging the General Officer’s ultimate sacrifice for the motherland, the army chief said: “We all salute his bravery.” He also pledged to stand by the families of Shuhada and the injured and added that the nation and its army will remain indebted to the sacrifices of their soldiers. Major General Sanaullah Khan embraced Shahadat along with Lieutenant Colonel Tauseef Ahmad and Sepoy Irfan Sattar when his vehicle came under an IED attack at 1230 hours on September 15 near village Gatkotal in the Upper Dir. Sanaullah was visiting his troops at the Pak-Afghan border and stayed the night with troops at a 10,000 feet high border postin Bin Shahi Sector. His vehicle was targeted while coming back. According to the ISPR, during the night of 14-15 September, terrorists also attacked a Khassadars patrol party near Bannu. The attackers were repulsed; however, an encounter resulted into the Shahadat of one and injuries to four Khassadars. Later, during early hours of 15th September, two army posts located on the Miranshah-Mir Ali Road were subjected to IED attacks by terrorists. The posts are meant to keep the traffic uninterrupted and secure. One soldier of the army and one of FC KP laid their lives for the motherland while two soldiers sustained injuries in these attacks.