ISLAMABAD: A day after a suicide bomber killed at least 69 people in Lahore, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif while addressing the nation reiterated Pakistan’s “resolve to fight the menace of terrorism till it is rooted out from our society.”
“The government’s leniency should not be mistaken for state’s weakness,” warned the premier.
The prime minister said that the entire nation is mourning after the terror attack in Lahore.
“We will avenge every last drop of our countrymen’s blood,” said Nawaz.
He stated that although the armed forces are carrying out Operation Zarb-i-Azb, the fight is not over yet.
Referring to the recent spats of terrorist attacks outside of Pakistan, the premier stated, “Terrorism has become a global threat and the whole world is affected by it.”
“In the past three years, the government and security agencies with the support of the nation have reduced terror activities across the country,” said Nawaz.
The prime minister elaborated that the country is on “the path of success despite ongoing terror attacks, and the government is on track to make Pakistan the land of happiness and success.”
The premier also paid his sincerest condolences to the injured and the families which suffered the loss of their loved ones in the Lahore attack.
Nawaz, however did not mention or announce a security operation against militant elements in southern Punjab.
The premier’s address comes a day after the horrific suicide attack in Lahore’s crowded Gulshan-i-Iqbal park and thousands of protesters breached the Red Zone in the federal capital.