Pakistan forms panel to implement anti-terror plan

Islamabad, Dec 27: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Friday constituted a ministerial committee to ensure expeditious and effective implementation of decisions taken in a conference of mainstream political parties and senior military leaders, officials said.

The prime minister said he would himself oversee the enforcement of the “National Action Plan” to wipe out terrorism in the country, Xinhua quoted the PM’s office as saying.

The plan was devised following the Taliban attack on an army-run school in Peshawar that left more than 140 people dead.

The government won support of the political parties for the new anti-terror strategy that includes establishment of military-led special courts for the speedy trial of what the officials call “hardcore terrorists”.

“As we assembled here to follow up the progress on our counter-terrorism policy, let me remind each one of us that we shall not let the memory of Peshawar carnage fade away till we wipe terror out of Pakistan,” the prime minister told a meeting of senior aides in Islamabad.

He said the historic national consensus would guide the roadmap. “Since we have a historic national consensus, let us proceed with our national duty,” he said.

He said today’s Pakistan was changed one and there was full resolve to weed out terror from the motherland.

“To me zero tolerance is zero tolerance. Violence in any form against my people equals terror and our polity and our army is very clear on it. We shall come down heavy on it,” Sharif said.

The political leaders have also thrown support behind the government’s move to amend the country’s constitution for the anti-terror measures.

The prime minister assigned the attorney general to hold consultation with the political leadership for bringing necessary legal and constitutional amendments for implementation of the plan.

He observed that consensus among political leadership would help eradicate terrorism and zero tolerance meant complete elimination of the menace from the country.

He directed the ministry of finance and State Bank of Pakistan to plug funding sources of the terrorists. (IANS)