By Muhammad Luqman
Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa Friday announced a ‘safe city project’ for northern city of Parachinar, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of armed forces.
The recent incident of terrorism resulted in the death of 70 persons in Parachinar, the headquarter of Kurram Tribal Agency, located on Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
“Additional troops have arrived in Parachinar. As the safe city project has been announced, progress will soon be made in this regard,” DG Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor said.
The DG ISPR said there was no discrimination in terms of security across the country. “All Pakistanis are equal. We are above any sects. We are Pakistanis and Muslims,” he said, adding the nation had to collectively defeat the menace of terrorism through unity and “we will succeed in doing so.”
Regarding the demands of the protesters, Bajwa said: “Some of their demands were political and others were regarding security. The army chief has ordered to immediately address the security demands.”
Earlier, Gen Qamar reached Parachinar to visit victims of twin blasts, the military’s media wing said. During his visit, the Army chief was briefed about the security situation and updated on the Parachinar incident. Gen Bajwa will also meet tribal elders later in the day.
On Tuesday, the army chief’s visit to Parachinar was postponed because of inclement weather. The military’s media wing had issued a statement that the army chief would spend the second day of Eidul Fitr in Parachinar, where two blasts killed 72 people on Friday last and protests against “government apathy” over the terrorist attack are still underway. The ISPR said Gen Bajwa’s visit had been postponed as his helicopter was unable to reach the location “due to bad weather”. The army chief will “go immediately” when the weather conditions are favourable, it had added.
Thousands of people began a sit-in at Shaheed Park, Parachinar, soon after the two bombs went off on Friday evening, as shoppers were out buying supplies in preparation for the breaking of the fast on one of the last days of the holy month of Ramazan. At least 75 people were killed and many more wounded when the bombs ripped through the busy marketplace crowded with shoppers.
