KARACHI / PESHAWAR: Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar and Army Chief Gen Syed Asim Munir vowed to continue the fight against terrorism, ruling out surrender as an option in the face of intolerance, extremism and radicalisation.

`Pakistan will not surrender in front of radicalism, extremism[and] intolerance ... this is our home and we will run the country on our terms,` the prime minister told reporters in Karachi.

His remarks came a day after six soldiers were martyred in a gun battle with militants in South Waziristan. Four militants were also killed in the fight.

Gen Munir visited the area onWednesday and stressed that terrorists, their affiliates and abettors working to destabilise the country would be hunted down until they surrendered to the state.

In Karachi, Prime Minister Kakar emphasised that armed forces and law enforcement agencies would now chase and kill militants with more force until terrorism was eliminated from every corner of the country.

`Those who think we will fall prey to war fatigue should clear their misunderstanding,` he told reporters at Governor House.

`Let it be very clear. These wars aren`t fought by some individuals. These aren`t fought by Anwaar [referring to himself] or the army chief alone. These wars are fought by the entire nation.

And as a nation, Pakistan won`t surrender to radicalisation, extremism and intolerance.

Surrender isn`t an option. We will fight, no matter what.

He said the armed forces were not fighting in return for the salaries and it was a misunderstanding that soldiers were rendering sacrifices for perks and privileges, but it`s respect which kept their morale high.

`Their services are not in return for salaries, rather respect and dignity are their salary. Salary is just meant to suffice their needs.

The nation pays them in the form of respect,` he said.

As for the future course of strategy against militancy, the premier said the banned outfits creating chaos in the country were miscalculating and misreading the state`s capacity.

`This is a clear message. They can fight for a limited time, but not for long. They are miscalculating and misreading whom they are faced with. We are not afraid of suicide attackers,` he said.

Referring to the rescue of eight people, mostly schoolchildren, who were trapped for hours in a broken cable car dangling high above Allai Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa`s Battagram district on Tuesday, the prime minister said the nation would celebrate the heroic incident `as it has given us an opportunity to unify us`.

`I say celebrate because, as a developing country, we are offered only a few moments that really leave lifelong impacts,` he said, adding that it was time to salute the joint rescue efforts.

Militants `will be hunted down` In his visit to the Asman Manza area of Upper South Waziristan, aday after the gun battle left six soldiers martyred there, Army Chief Gen Munir interacted with officers and troops.

`Shuhada (martyrs) are our pride and their sacrifices will not go in vain till the return of complete peace and stability in Pakistan, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) quoted Gen Munir as saying on Wednesday.

`Terrorists, their affiliates and abettors working on the behest of hostile agenda to destabilise Pakistan will be hunted down until their surrender to the State of Pakistan,` he said and appreciated the troops` resolve in the fight against militancy.

Gen Munir was briefed on the prevailing security situation, including ongoing intelligence and counterterrorism operations, the ISPR said.

Upon his arrival, he was received by Commander Peshawar Corps Lt Gen Sardar Hassan Azhar Hayat.

Meeting with business community Before flying to Islamabad, Prime Minister Kakar held several meetings in Karachi, including with Sindh`s caretaker chief minister, business people and leaders of political parties.

In the meeting with industrialists and business people, the premierassured them that the government would do all it could for the uplift of the business community as it was the `engine of economic growth`.

`The nation living on the Indus Basin is, unfortunately, facing food insecurity and it manifests collective incompetence,` he said.

He agreed that low-cost electricity was inevitable for industrialisation as natural gas reserves were insufficient to support the industry`s needs.

PPP delegation calls on PM Later, a delegation of PPP leaders comprising former Sindh chief minister Murad Ali Shah, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab and senior leader Qaim Ali Shah called on the prime minister at Governor House and apprised him of the problems confronting Sindh, particularly Karachi.

`The prime minister assured the delegation that his government would utilise maximum resources for early resolution of the issues, said a statement issued by Governor House after the meeting.

Mr Kakar also met the Sindh caretaker chief minister, former Supreme Court judge Maqbool Bagar, and assured him of the federal government`s all-out support to run the province`s administrative affairs.