Government calls for global action against terrorism

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari called for unified global action against terrorism and stressed that no territory was used for terrorism against another country.

The two leaders made these assertions in their separate messages on the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism, which is observed annually on August 21 to honour and support the victims of terrorism.

In his message, shared by the Prime Minister’s Office on X, PM Shehbaz said Pakistan was joining the international community in observing this day dedicated to remembering the victims of terrorism and extended its “heartfelt solidarity and tribute to all those who had suffered from this scourge”.

He noted that terrorism remained one of the most serious challenges confronting humanity.

“Only those devoid of humanity can inflict suffering and play with the lives of innocent people to pursue their nefarious objectives. The families of those who have lost their lives to terrorism, as well as those who have sustained lifelong injuries, equally deserve our compassion and solidarity,” he added.

The premier said Pakistan was among the countries that had suffered immensely from terrorism.

“Not only have our valiant armed forces made the ultimate sacrifice in the fight against this scourge, but the brave officers and personnel of our law enforcement agencies, as well as our countless innocent citizens, have also laid down their lives.

“We salute the courage and sacrifice of all those civilians and security personnel who have lost their lives in acts of terrorism,” he said.

He highlighted that Pakistan had also paid a “heavy economic and social price” in the fight against terrorism.

“Terrorism has adversely affected the economic well-being of our people and hindered Pakistan’s journey towards development, progress and prosperity. With our unwavering national resolve, Pakistan will continue this struggle until this menace is completely eradicated,” he said.

The prime minister added, “No nation, civilisation, religion or faith in the world advocates terrorism. Acts of terrorism are a manifestation of diseased minds and an expression of inhuman ideologies.”

He stressed that “unconditional condemnation” of terrorism by the international community, coupled with effective mutual cooperation, was indispensable for the complete eradication of terrorism.

The prime minister further noted that the physical, psychological and social rehabilitation of victims of terrorism was also part of shared global responsibility and said that the government, despite its limited resources, consistently remained mindful of the welfare and needs of the victims of terrorism and the law enforcement personnel engaged in combating this menace.

“Pakistan has a comprehensive support system in place for martyrs, their families and victims of terrorism. Ensuring that all victims have easy and timely access to healthcare, rehabilitation and essential civic services remains a foremost priority of the government,” he said.

He called upon relevant institutions at the global, national, collective and individual levels to raise their voices against terrorism, subversion and all negative tendencies, while upholding universal human values and the rule of international law.

President’s message

In his message, shared by the Presidency on X, President Zardari expressed solidarity with the survivors of terrorism, their families and communities whose lives had been forever changed by violence.

Echoing PM Shehbaz’s words, he too said that Pakistan had paid an “enormous price” in the fight against terrorism.

“For more than two decades, tens of thousands of our people, including children, political leaders, members of the armed forces, law enforcement personnel, first responders and public servants, have lost their lives.

“From Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto to the innocent children and teachers of Army Public School Peshawar, and countless other Pakistanis, terrorism has inflicted wounds that remain part of our national memory,” he added, particularly mentioning the assassination of his late wife and former prime minister Benazir in 2007 and a deadly Army Public School attack in 2014 that claimed nearly 150 lives.

Even today, he said, “our citizens and security personnel continue to make sacrifices, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. We salute their courage and stand with every family that has lost a loved one to terrorism”.

He stressed that no religion, faith, sect, ideology, grievance, cause or political objective could justify the killing of innocent people.

“Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations must be condemned without distinction. The international community must ensure that no territory is used to perpetrate terrorism against another country and that no terrorist organisation receives sanctuary, financing, weapons, logistical assistance or any other form of external support,” he asserted.

At the same time, he said, remembrance must lead to responsibility and recovery.

Victims and survivors often lived for years with physical injuries, psychological trauma, loss of livelihood, interrupted education and social isolation, he noted, adding that their suffering could not be answered merely through immediate relief or one-time financial compensation.

“They deserve empathy, medical and psychosocial care, education, rehabilitation, legal assistance and livelihood opportunities that enable them to rebuild their lives with dignity.”

The president said Pakistan remained committed to strengthening a coordinated and survivor-centred system of support. “In keeping with this year’s focus on victim-led digital initiatives, we should responsibly harness technology to make information, assistance and rehabilitation services more accessible to victims and their families,” he emphasised.

“Supporting victims of terrorism is not an act of charity. It is a matter of justice, human dignity and national responsibility.

“Government institutions, healthcare and educational institutions, civil society, the private sector, media and development partners must work together to ensure sustained support for victims and their families. The suffering of victims must not disappear from our national conscience when it disappears from the news cycle,” he emphasised.

The president also stressed that the “struggle against terrorism must also confront the extremism, intolerance and hatred that allow violence to take root”.

“We must address the social, ethnic and religious discrimination that extremists exploit to spread hatred and division. When intolerance is allowed to deepen, it can create fertile ground for radicalisation, violent extremism and ultimately terrorism,” he added.

Terrorism, he said, could not be defeated by security measures alone.

“We must build a society in which our young people are protected from radicalisation and in which differences in ethnicity, religion, sect or political belief must never become a justification for violence. No child should inherit the fear, trauma or hatred created by terrorism,” he stressed.

The president noted that terrorists had targeted Pakistanis across provinces, communities, faiths and institutions. However, they had failed to “break our national resolve”.

“The sacrifices of our people belong to no single province, ethnicity, sect or institution. They are sacrifices made for Pakistan as a whole.”

On this day, he said, “let us remember those we have lost, stand with those who continue to bear the consequences of terrorism, and renew our collective determination to defeat terrorism and build a peaceful, tolerant, pluralistic, compassionate and resilient Pakistan”.

Concluding his message, he prayed for those who lost their lives to terrorism and wished strength and patience for their families.

FO highlights ‘familiar and grim’ pattern of violence

The Foreign Office (FO) also issued a statement in remembrance of victims of terrorism, saying that the day was “not only for ceremony but for honest reckoning and commemoration of the lives sacrificed to fighting terrorism and the cost paid by the victims’ families”.

It said that over 90,000 Pakistanis had lost their lives and the country had incurred economic losses of over $150 billion in the fight against terrorism.

Behind the rising toll, it said, was a “familiar and grim” pattern of violence that was planned, financed and directed from across the border and often supported by “hostile elements” from neighbouring countries.

The FO also highlighted that terrorism was now “multi-faceted”, as terrorists employed emerging technologies and enhanced their outreach via cyberspace for “increasingly sophisticated and lethal attacks”. It added that Pakistan was a victim of disinformation campaigns, “hydro-terrorism” and extra-territorial assassination campaigns.

“Despite these challenges, Pakistan remains unflinching in its resolve, and unwavering in its commitment, to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” the FO said.

In its statement, it paid tribute and reaffirmed solidarity with the Kashmiri people living under “systemic state repression, encompassing draconian laws, enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention” in India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, which it said met “every definition of terrorism”.

It also paid tribute to Palestine, noting that despite a ceasefire since last October, the Palestinian people continued to suffer “unspeakable human rights atrocities” while their right to self-determination was denied.

The FO called on the international community to support victims and survivors of terrorism around the world without discrimination, and to enhance international cooperation and dialogue for peace “objectively, impartially, consistently and equitably without double standard”.