United Nations (TDI): The Pakistan Mission to the United Nations said on Tuesday that Islamabad had credible evidence proving that the Jaffar Express attack was externally sponsored by its regional adversaries.
The Jaffar Express train was hijacked on March 11 by Balochistan Liberation Army terrorists who ambushed the Peshawar-bound train carrying 440 passengers.
Security forces conducted a two-day operation, concluding on March 12. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that all 33 terrorists were killed, but no hostages were harmed in the final rescue phase.
During the launch of the “Victims of Terrorism Association Network”, Jawad Ajmal, a counsellor at the Pakistan Mission, stressed that the global community has a responsibility to back survivors of brutal terrorist attacks and the families of victims whose lives were permanently altered by such tragedies.
He highlighted the need for collective action to prevent future attacks, demanding for holding terrorists and their supporters accountable and adopting a “uniform, victim-centric approach”.
To chart a way forward for victims, it is necessary to look beyond narrow political interests and geopolitical agendas. It must be examined that why, despite international strategies, terrorism threats are proliferating and giving rise to an ever-increasing number of victims, he said.
“Islamabad unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its kinds and manifestations, including right-wing extremism, racially and ethnically motivated terrorism, Islamophobia, and, above all, state-sponsored terrorism.”
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Ajmal emphasized that the global community must address the root causes of terrorism and the conditions conducive to its spread. He also stressed the significance of distinguishing terrorism from legitimate struggles for self-determination.
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The counsellor underlined the “need to address state-sponsored terrorism and highlighted the necessity of reaching a consensual definition of terrorism that reflects emerging trends”.
