Army chief visits suicide blast site in Peshawar, praises police as ‘frontline force’

A man walks amid the rubble, days after a suicide blast in a mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan on February 2, 2023. (REUTERS)
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Updated 03 February 2023
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Army chief visits suicide blast site in Peshawar, praises police as ‘frontline force’

  • Gen. Munir’s visit comes at a time when PM Shehbaz Sharif announced ‘zero-tolerance policy against terrorism’
  • The prime minister expressed his resolve not to let armed groups reverse the country’s recent ‘anti-terror gains’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army chief General Asim Munir praised Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police for playing a critical role in fighting extremist violence on Friday while visiting the site of a deadly suicide blast in Peshawar where over a hundred people were killed during a prayer congregation.
The incident took place when an explosion ripped through a crowded mosque in Peshawar’s police headquarters on Monday after a suicide bomber managed to enter the facility in police uniform.




Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir, third left, visits the site of Monday's suicide bombing in Peshawar, Pakistan, on February 3, 2023. (Photo courtesy: social media)

According to a statement released by the military’s media wing, ISPR, the army chief met with police personnel and praised their bravery in the “war against terrorism.”
“The [chief of army staff] said that KP police is one of the most brave and has fought as a Frontline force against terrorism,” the statement added.
He appreciated the morale of police personnel and paid tribute to the martyrs who “laid down their lives for the defence of motherland.”
“We as a nation together will root out this menace of terrorism till enduring peace and InSha Allah we shall achieve this,” General Munir was quoted as saying.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a high-level meeting to review the security situation of the country which agreed to adopt “a zero-tolerance policy against terrorism.”
“Those who attacked innocent citizens will be brought to justice,” he said in a Twitter post. “We will not allow anti-terror gains to be reversed.”

The prime minister said the participants of the meeting also considered proposals to revise the National Action Plan, announced in December 2014 to crack down on militant networks, and approved “a slew of measures to improve investigation, forensic & working of [counterterrorism departments].”
“The meeting agreed to institute implementation mechanism for the decisions,” he added.


Pakistan, Libya discuss defense and counterterrorism cooperation during army chief’s visit

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Pakistan, Libya discuss defense and counterterrorism cooperation during army chief’s visit

  • Military says Field Marshal Asim Munir met Libyan Commander-in-Chief Khalifa Belqasim Haftar during the visit
  • Unlike several other states in the region, bilateral defense collaboration remains limited between the two countries

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Libya discussed enhancing defense cooperation, with a focus on training and counterterrorism partnership, during a visit by Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir to the North African country, the military said in a statement on Thursday.

Pakistan and Libya established diplomatic relations in 1951, with ties particularly close during the era of former Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, when Tripoli positioned itself as a supporter of Muslim causes and developing countries, including

Pakistan. Relations have been more restrained since Libya’s political upheaval in 2011.

According to the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Munir met Field Marshal Khalifa Belqasim Haftar, commander-in-chief of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces, and Lt. Gen. Saddam Khalifa Haftar, deputy commander-in-chief, during the visit.

“Both sides underscored the importance of collaboration in training, capacity building and counterterrorism domains,” ISPR said in a statement.

“Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening defense ties with Libya, based on shared interests,” it added.

ISPR said Munir was accorded a guard of honor by a contingent of the Libyan Armed Forces on arrival and that the talks also covered matters of mutual interest, regional security dynamics and avenues for expanding military-to-military cooperation.

The Libyan military leadership appreciated the professionalism of the Pakistan armed forces and expressed a desire to expand defense cooperation between the two countries, the statement said.

Unlike Pakistan’s relations with some Gulf and Middle Eastern states, there is currently no significant defense or military cooperation between Islamabad and Tripoli, with engagement remaining limited amid Libya’s prolonged political instability.