Islamabad, Mar 17 (PTI) Pakistan would retaliate against every force that enters its border to commit terror and make it accountable for the blood of each fallen soldier, President Asif Ali Zardari said on Sunday.
Zardari’s comment came after he attended the funeral prayer of two officers who were among the seven Pakistan Army personnel killed in a terrorist attack on Saturday in the country’s restive North Waziristan region.
A Lieutenant Colonel and a Captain were killed along with five soldiers. All the six terrorists who attacked the check post in Mir Ali area were shot dead.
“Pakistan has decided that whoever will enter our borders, homes or country and commit terror, we will respond to them strongly, regardless of who it is or from which country,” Zardari was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Pakistan Army.
Zardari, who took over as the 14th President of Pakistan on March 10, said: “This noble sacrifice stands as another glorious testament to the unflinching resolve of our gallant sons, who have never hesitated to offer the ultimate sacrifice for the defence of our Motherland. The whole nation stands in solidarity with our armed forces,” he added.
Paying tribute to the killed army personnel, he reiterated the resolve to “respond to terrorist activities with full force”.
The nation’s brave brothers, sons and friends had been protecting the borders, Zardari said, promising that the blood of the sons of the soil would not go in vain.
The funeral was also attended by the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chief of Army the Staff Gen Syed Asim Munir, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar as well as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, senior serving military and civil officers, relatives of the Shuhada and locals of the area.
Hafiz Gul Bahadur group of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan took responsibility for the suicide bombing at the military post. The funeral was held in Rawalpindi.
Pakistani Taliban leader Hafiz Gul Bahadur’s group which claimed responsibility for the attack is one of the strongest militant groups in North Waziristan. Earlier, he fled to Afghanistan following Operation Zarb-e-Azb in 2014.
Earlier, the Army said that the troops foiled an initial attempt of intrusion into an Army installation in the wee hours of the Saturday. However, a group of six terrorists rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into it. PTI SH RUP RUP
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