'Surrender not an option,' Pakistan's premier vows to continue fight against terrorism

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan's caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Wednesday said his country would continue its long-drawn fight against terrorism as "surrender is not an option."

“Pakistan will not surrender in front of radicalism, extremism, and intolerance no matter what. This is our home and we will run the country on our terms,” Kakar said while addressing a news conference in the southern port city of Karachi.

His remarks came a day after six Pakistan Army troops were killed in a clash with suspected militants in the restive South Waziristan tribal district near the Afghanistan border.

The incident was the latest in a fresh spate of terrorist attacks against security forces across the country, primarily in the restless northwestern tribal region in recent months.

"Pakistan has a clear message for those who are spreading violence that we will keep fighting against them,” said Kakar who was chosen as the caretaker premier earlier this month by the outgoing prime minister and the opposition leader to hold the general elections.

Dubbing the suicide bombers as "dogs of hell," he said that these kinds of "cowardly" attacks cannot tire the government and the people of Pakistan.

"We will never forget our martyrs or their sacrifices and won’t refrain from such sacrifices in the future.

"We will, in fact, pursue them."

Pakistani security forces have been struggling to contain a rising wave of terrorism since the Taliban recaptured Kabul two years ago.

Dozens of security personnel have been killed in clashes and suicide bombings, mostly claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella of several militant groups in Pakistan, in recent months.

Islamabad accused Afghanistan-based militants of unleashing a fresh spate of terrorism in Pakistan, a charge Kabul rejects.