Peshawar: A day after a Taliban attack on an army-run school here left nearly 150 people killed, nearly all of them students, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Wednesday announced the ban on death sentences in terrorist cases is being revoked and said the nation is united in the fight against terror.
All parties in Pakistan were united in fighting terrorism, Nawaz Sharif said at a press conference as leaders gathered for an all-party meeting in the Governor House here.
"It's a sad day in the history of Pakistan," Sharif said while thanking all leaders for being present in the meeting.
"We should not let the sacrifice of our children go in vain. We will keep all those pictures that came out of the Peshawar siege in our mind so that we remain upbeat to fight terrorisme. Talks with Taliban have yielded no results," he said.
"Pakistan has been fighting terrorism since a long time which has affected our economy as well. Tuesday's tragic incident was an eye-opener. We are fighting terrorism through operation Zarb-e-Azb. We have been successful and we have to cover very little ground now to counter this menace," he added.
Sharif also said that the ban on capital punishment in terrorism cases would be lifted, following which the terrorists facing death penalty could be executed.
"Earlier, all-party meetings were all futile exercises, but this time we need to act by taking some harsh steps against terrorism," the prime minister said.
The horrific terror attack took place Tuesday at the Army Public School in Peshawar, capital of Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. As many as 148 people, including 132 children, were killed in the attack that left the country numb with deep shock and grief.
Representatives from Awami National Party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Pakistan People's Party, Qaumi Watan Party, and Pashtunkhwa Mili Awami Party, among others, participated in the meeting.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan, who has been leading a protest against the government since August, too was present at the meeting.
Comments
| Quick linksNews
National
International
Regional
Politics
Education & Career
Business
Science & Technology
Health
Views & Analysis
The Funny Side
© 2012 Awaz Multimedia & Publications. All rights reserved.
Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Sitaram Yechury informed Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien that he had a copy of the circular asking some schools to remain open on Christmas.. .... More
Also Read: Christmas day essay writing online contest not compulsory: Naidu
Thousands of Urdu medium school teachers, who appeared for the mandatory Maharashtra State Teacher Eligibility Test (MH-TET) Sunday, were shocked when they were given, instead of computer-typed, handwritten question papers. Thousands of Urdu medium school teachers, who ... More
The hashtag #IllRideWithYou has been trending on Twitter in Sydney and other major cities as Australians reached out to support Muslim commuters amid the Sydney hostage crisis...... More
Also Read: Police storm Sydney cafe, free hostages, two dead
The Hindu nationalist have constantly dinned into our consciousness that Muslims are separatists, terrorists and communal. There is a suspicion that any political party led and dominated by Muslims would ultimately lead to a second partition of the country.... More
Even as a growing number of mosques across the globe are going "female-friendly" by offering more space to women and seeking their involvement in worship places, in India and the subcontinent women inside mosques are still considered something .... More
Also Read: Muslim Personal Law Board and Indian Muslim women
Born in February 1929 at Ambet village in then Kulaba district (now Raigad), Antulay plunged into student politics in 1945 before going to London from where he earned the coveted degree of Barrister-at-Law....... More
Also Read: Former Union Minister, veteran Cong leader Abdur Rehman Antulay dies