Pak to launch anti-terrorism campaign in March 2019: Minister

Islamabad: The Pakistani government on Wednesday announced to launch a wide-ranging comprehensive operation to counter-terrorism and target killing across the country in March 2019.

Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi told media that the government has decided to launch the National Action Plan, a comprehensive action plan to crack down on terrorism and to supplement the ongoing anti-terrorist offensive.

The announcement came after the targeted killing of former parliamentarian and senior politician Syed Ali Raza Abidi who was shot dead by unknown assailants outside his house in Karachi, Xinhua news agency reported.

The attack at Abidi is the fourth terrorist attack in Karachi during last one month, which has raised serious concerns over the country's achievements against the terrorism.

The minister said the political and military leadership and key security agencies would sit together to take decisions to bring betterment to the country's national security plan.

The minister said the government will also revive the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), the country's national organisation established to gather intelligence and disseminate and coordinate between all relevant stakeholders to counter terrorism and extremism.

"We shall try hard to eliminate this plague from the country through joint efforts of all stakeholders including provinces and the central government, and those who want to destabilise the country will be identified soon," said the minister.