PM announces one-day mourning over Charsadda attack

The prime minister said work on the Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India (TAPI) gas pipeline would boost the country’s industrial sector. He is also skipping a visit to Davos for the World Economic Forum to avoid another meeting with his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif, though he had promised the organisers that he would travel to Switzerland.

Speaking here at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said his government has taken very decisive action against terrorists. “But our resolve to fight against terrorism is getting stronger every day”, Sharif said. He said the government launched operation Zarb-e-Azb which continued successfully and many important goals have been achieved against the terrorism.

“Now the terrorists are on the run and they are choosing soft targets”, the prime minister said. “I think we are successful on all fronts as terrorism is coming down, militancy reducing and the economy picking up”. He referred to the terrorist attack at Bacha Khan University in Charsadda and said the university proved to be an easy target for the terrorists and precious lives were lost.

Talking about foreign investment in the country, the Pakistani PM said 46 billion dollars are being invested under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and he claimed that unemployment was on decline. But whether Modi attends will depend, officials said, on the state of ties with Pakistan as much as his schedule.

The resumption of talks between the two countries took a hit after the recent terror attacks in Pathankot.

There is a huge economic loss also.

He said that his government was trying to overcome terrorism and power crisis, adding that the ongoing military offensive against the terrorists is producing satisfactory results. We discussed bordering areas near Afghanistan.