Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Saturday claimed to have reached out to the accused in Lahore blast and said that he would defeat terrorism.

Talking to media in Islamabad on Saturday, he said that all the institutions have been issued alert by the interior ministry and directed to remain vigilant.

The minister said that thousands of lives have been sacrificed in the war against terrorism, adding that Balochistan Nationalist Army (BNA) is a small group and it is not known yet whether BLA has claimed responsibility for Anarkali attack or not.

Sheikh Rashid said that our security institutions are fully prepared to curb terrorist activities in the country, adding that the incidents like Lahore blast cannot shatter our determination and morale.

He went on to say that said investigation of the incident is underway and perpetrators of the incident will be held accountable to law.

“Deadlock over negotiations with TTP came due to their unacceptable conditions,” he said and added two terrorist of TTP were killed in Islamabad on 18th of this month and same action would be taken against anyone who will try to spoil the peace of the motherland.

The minister: “Our nation paid heavy price for peace restoration in the country and no one will be allowed at any cost to spoil it, adding that we have sacrificed more than 80,000 lives and suffered an economic loss of around 150 billion dollars for this purpose.”

Regarding speculations about Presidential system in the country, he said no such move has been discussed in the cabinet.

Sheikh Rashid expressed hope that Prime Minister Imran Khan will complete his five-year tenure and the current opposition will not succeed in any undemocratic move.

He also urged the opposition to postpone their rally of 23rd March as OIC world leaders will be in the Federal Capital during those days.