Islamabad (TDI): Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar on Wednesday reaffirmed Pakistan’s determination to combat terrorism, declaring that cowardly acts of violence would never weaken the country’s resolve.
Speaking at the two-day Inter-Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference in Islamabad, Dar referred to the recent suicide blast in the federal capital and the attack on Cadet College Wana, which together claimed 15 lives.
“Let me be very clear, these cowardly acts will never shake or weaken our national resolve to deal with this menace,” Dar said. “If anything, they reaffirm our conviction that dialogue, understanding, and partnership are the only sustainable paths to peace and security.”
He strongly condemned the two attacks, expressing sympathies with the victims’ families, and reiterated Pakistan’s categorical rejection of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, “whether these take place in Islamabad or anywhere in the world.”
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Dar noted that terrorism remains one of the greatest global challenges of the time, stressing that Pakistan has served as a bulwark against this menace, which recognizes no boundaries of religion, gender, ethnicity, or race.
The Islamabad suicide blast, the first in nearly three years, occurred as the capital hosted several major international events, including the Inter-Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference, the 6th Margalla Dialogue, and a tri-nation cricket series involving Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe.
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According to police, the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack. Officials said the lone bomber detonated himself at the main entrance of the judicial complex in G-11 after failing multiple attempts to enter the premises, where hundreds of lawyers and litigants were present.
Meanwhile, all the militants involved in the Wana Cadet College assault had been killed in the clearance operation.
Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in terrorist incidents over the past year, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, following the TTP’s decision to end its ceasefire with the government in November 2022 and resume attacks on security forces and law enforcement agencies.
