FAISALABAD, Jul 13 (APP): State Minister for Interior and senior PML-N leader Senator Talal Chaudhary said that Punjab has consistently made extraordinary sacrifices for the unity of Pakistan and these sacrifices would shatter all conspiracies against Pakistan.
He was addressing a press conference on Sunday after offering condolences to the family of Sheikh Majid Ayub, a young businessman from Faisalabad, who was martyred in a terrorist attack in Zhob, Balochistan.
Talal Chaudhry termed the Balochistan incident a clear precedent of Punjab’s factual commitment for national solidarity and sacrifice and said Majid Ayub, who frequently travelled to Balochistan for his textile business, was targeted on his return. He embraced martyrdom in an act of terrorism that was not random, but a planned proxy attack sponsored by enemy forces with clear links to India, he added.
He said that the enemy is attempting to divide Pakistan on ethnic and linguistic lines, but fails to realize that every street of Punjab houses Baloch, Pashtun, Sindhi, Kashmiri and Gilgiti brothers, who live, study, work and heal together in unity.
He highlighted Punjab’s historical generosity, citing its sacrifices in the NFC Award, its sharing of water resources with Balochistan and now, its blood. “When water was needed, Punjab gave its share. When money was required, Punjab contributed and now, when blood is demanded, our sons are laying down their lives”, he said.
He praised the courage of Majid Ayub’s mother and said that she had received her martyred son’s body with pride, embodying the spirit of every Pakistani mother who sends her child to defend the homeland.
Talal Chaudhary said that terrorism knows no religion, language, or ethnicity rather it is fueled by dollars and foreign agendas. He pointed directly at India’s involvement, accusing it of switching from overt warfare to covert attacks through sponsored terrorist networks. However, he said that Pakistan’s security forces and citizens have time and again defeated such enemies with resilience and unity.
He revealed that Pakistan’s security agencies conduct over 150 intelligence-based operations daily, preempting over 90% of planned attacks. The current counterterrorism campaign is a continuation of ongoing kinetic and non-kinetic operations in which the federal and Balochistan governments are fully aligned, he added.
He said that terrorists now target soft civilian spots like markets, schools, and hospitals, which is an obvious proof of their moral and ideological bankruptcy. During press conference, Talal Chaudhary condemned political leaders who only come to Punjab for votes but remain absent when its youths are martyred.
He reminded the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government of its responsibility to build Counter-Terrorism Departments, forensic labs, and smart surveillance systems to effectively combat terrorism, just as Punjab has done.
He dismissed the notion that terrorists are representative of any ethnic group and said that a terrorist is neither Baloch, nor Pashtun, nor Punjabi, rather they are enemies of humanity.
He outlined the horrifying statistics and said 406 attacks were made on gas installations, 56 schools were destroyed and 178 hospitals were targeted in addition to 219 ethnically-motivated attacks that claimed 514 lives and most of their victims were from Punjab.
He called on all political parties and citizens to unite beyond political affiliations and support the security forces as was done during Nawaz Sharif’s government when collective political support helped restore peace from Quetta to Karachi.
“We are Punjabis, Balochis, Sindhis, Pashtuns, Kashmiris and Gilgitis after we are Pakistanis first”, he said, adding that the country was founded in the name of “Kalimah Tayyabah” and its defence is a sacred duty.
He referenced the recent “Operation Sandur” as a stark reminder of what happens when enemies confront Pakistan head-on. “Whether the threat is direct or covert, the result would always be the same i.e. total defeat for the aggressors”, he added.
Addressing those who seek political mileage from foreign soil, Talal Chaudhry criticized certain PTI leaders for lobbying against Pakistan abroad while instigating unrest at home.
He said that many of the so-called “missing persons” were in fact militants who had deliberately gone underground and were later killed during counterterrorism operations.
Responding to a question, Talal Chaudhry expressed hope that this would be the last condolence visit he ever has to make, but he acknowledged that as long as mothers like Majid Ayub’s exist who embrace their martyred sons with strength and pride, the enemy would never succeed.
“We are not fighting as Punjabis or Balochis but as Pakistanis and Pakistan would always emerge victorious, Insha Allah”, he added.
