KARACHI-
Cathay Pacific Airways has canceled all flights to the Pakistani city of Karachi from Bangkok following a Taliban raid on the country’s busiest airport this week, as top Pakistani officials debated how to tackle the escalating violence.
International flights in and out of Karachi have been suspended twice since Sunday, when gunmen wearing military uniforms stormed the airport, firing rocket-propelled grenades in an all-night siege that killed 34 people.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely,” Cathay said in a statement. “Customers are recommended to check flight status before departing for the airport.”
Cathay Pacific shares were down 0.28 percent in mid-afternoon trade on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
In Islamabad, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired a meeting with security officials late on Tuesday to discuss how to handle the crisis as the escalation of violence raised the prospects of an all-out army campaign against insurgent strongholds.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) said they had carried out the Karachi attack in response to strikes on their positions on the Afghan border.
Pakistan Air Force has periodically bombed TTP hideouts in the ethnic tribal belt straddling the border, but has yet to mount a major ground offensive there.
Security was tight around Karachi airport and the bustling and chaotic city of 18 million people remained nervous after the twin attacks, though life had seemed to return to normal, with shops and markets open and people going about daily tasks.
“It looks like the Taliban have taken over the entire country,” said Mohammad Gulfam, who owns an electrical appliances shop in Karachi.
“What we want is that the army should carry out a big operation to clear out all the country, so that the public can get some peace of mind.”
Sunday’s assault destroyed prospects for peace talks between the TTP and the Sharif’s government after months of failed attempts to engage them in dialogue on how to end years of violence.
TTP is allied with the Afghan militants of the same name and share a similar jihadist ideology.
But they operate as a separate entity, focused entirely on toppling the Pakistani state and establishing strict Islamic rule in the nuclear-armed nation, whereas the Afghan Taliban are united by their campaign against invading foreign forces.
