Army Chief visits Parachinar to address grievances after terror attacks

PESHAWAR: Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday visited Parachinar, Kurram Agency to express his grief on the loss of lives in recent terror attacks and interact with local tribal elders.

The army chief was briefed about the security situation and recent terror incidents. He said that he was abroad and then his visit to Parachinar was postponed due to inclement weather. Meanwhile, Commander Peshawar Corps and Inspector General Frontier Constabulary were directed to be present in Parachinar and take care of the victims and affected families.

COAS visited Parachinar.”Every Pakistani is our brother,u are our strength. For me every Pakistani is equally imp even non Muslim”COAS(1of2) pic.twitter.com/JNpeZiLVtV

— Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) June 30, 2017

Gen. Bajwa said that the nation has given unprecedented sacrifices in the war against terrorism and shall succeed. “Our enemies shall never succeed to lower our resolve or to divide us,” he remarked.

He appreciated FC Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and local administration for their efforts and acknowledged their contributions. To date 126 soldiers of FC KP have laid their lives and 387 have been injured during security duties in Kurram Agency.

“Frontier Constabulary KP is a professional force inclusive of all tribes and sects performing their duties selflessly,” COAS said.

The tribal elders expressed their full confidence and trust in the army and its leadership. “We stand with our security forces and our blood is for our motherland,” the elders said.

Later, COAS also met representatives of sit-in protesting against the recent terror attacks and listened to their concerns. He said that administrative concerns will be pursued with the government, while suggestions regarding security mechanism will be incorporated forthwith. “We can only be effective when locals are part of the security and vigilance” he said.

Gen. Bajwa announced to develop a safe city project for Parachinar by installing CCTV cameras such as the ones in Lahore and Islamabad. He vowed that the local facilitators and abettors of recent terror incidents will be apprehended and tried in military courts.

He said that the government now announced compensation for Parachinar victims at par with other such victims elsewhere in the country as all Pakistani citizens are equal. Prime Minister had announced a compensation of one million ruppees for each victims of the terror attacks.

He also announced that additional army troops have been moved to Parachinar to enhance security, while FC troops are being beefed up on Pak-Afghan border to seal it effectively. The Toori Razakars group are also being dovetailed on check posts.

He said the fencing of Pak-Afghan border is already in progress. The more sensitive areas of FATA are being fenced in the first while complete border including Balochistan will be fenced in the second phase.

Furthermore, the Army Public School in Parachinar is renamed after Major Gulfam Shaheed and will be upgraded to Cadet College in due course. A trauma centre will be established in Parachinar by the army, while local civil hospital will be upgraded for better medical care by civil administration.

The army chief said that recent firing incident by FC troops to handle a mob situation after the terror attack is being inquired and those responsible shall not be spared. The FC commandant has already been changed, while four people killed and others injured due to firing have been compensated by FC.

He further announced that the army fully supports mainstreaming FATA which is being pursued and its early implementation is essential for enduring peace and stability.

Gen. Bajwa said said that Pakistan Army shall continue efforts to bring back normalcy in the country. He said that threat continues to reside across the border in Afghanistan with ISIS gaining strength there.

“We need to remain united, steadfast, prepared and vigilant against this threat which has an agenda of exploiting sectarian fault line,” he said adding that the security forces are symbol of national integration.