RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Barrister Salman Akram Raja on Tuesday said protecting Pakistan’s borders is the responsibility of federal institutions, urging them to ensure that militants are prevented from entering the country through cross-border routes.
Speaking to reporters at the Factory Checkpoint near Adiala Jail, he said he returned to Pakistan earlier in the day after attending a funeral and burial ceremony in Iran. Commenting on the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said the provincial chief minister was ensuring that the affairs of the provincial government are conducted with complete transparency.
Expressing concern over the country’s overall security environment, Raja said counterterrorism is a shared responsibility of both federal and provincial governments. He acknowledged the presence of terrorist elements in Pakistan and said the country witnessed a sharp increase in terrorist attacks over the past six to eight months. Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are bearing the brunt of violence and suffering the greatest losses. Describing terrorism as a grave national challenge, he stressed that the menace could only be defeated through a united national effort and by ensuring that all relevant institutions perform their responsibilities effectively and in good faith.
Referring to the role of federal institutions, the PTI secretary general said border security falls exclusively within the federal government’s mandate. He maintained that the authorities must ensure that terrorists are prevented from crossing into Pakistan and entering any province of the country.
