Daily Times

RAWALPINDI: Army Chief Raheel Sharif on Wednesday said that Pakistan had achieved significant successes in the Operation Zarb-e-Azb, but the war against terrorism being complex required steadfast and unified response.

According to a press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), media wing of the Pakistan Army, Sharif was presiding over the Corps Commanders Conference. He said that terrorists were getting funds from hostile foreign intelligence agencies, but they had their sympathisers at home who were giving them shelter.

The army chief reiterated that Pakistan would defeat the nefarious designs of its enemies and eliminate terrorists from its soil. “Resilience of the whole nation and professionalism of our security forces are our real assets and I am optimistic that we will succeed in bringing enduring peace in Pakistan,” he said.

The conference took a holistic view of internal and regional security situation, including reconciliation in Afghanistan and security for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

The participants in the conference discussed the importance of timely and dignified return of the temporarily displaced persons of the tribal areas. The army chief reiterated that all efforts and resources would be used to bring about a lasting stability and socio-economic prosperity in the tribal areas.

The army says it has cleared most of the North Waziristan tribal region of militants and it has a plan in place for a phased return of the displaced people to their homes.

The Pakistan Army began a long-awaited push to clear North Waziristan of insurgent bases in mid-June 2014 after a bloody Taliban attack on Karachi airport sank faltering peace talks. So far, more than 3,000 terrorists have been killed in the operation.