Islamabad, Dec 24 (IANS): Pakistani Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said Wednesday that terrorism in the country cannot be eliminated overnight.

Addressing a parliamentary committee meeting here, the minister said that when the anti-terro military operation was launched, it was decided that civil-military forces would require time to counter the terrorists and the police was not equipped for this purpose.

“At this time approximately 10,000 soldiers are deployed in Pakistani cities for the purpose of counter-terrorism,” Geo TV quoted Nisar Ali Khan as saying.

The interior minister added that except the federal and Punjab governments, no other province had requisitioned the army's deployment under Article 245 of the constitution.

“The army will be withdrawn if there is no requisition,” Nisar said while also informing the panel that it was the army, which was acting as a rapid response force.

The interior minister also spoke of restrictions being placed on the media over the glorification of terrorists.

The parliamentary panel meeting is under way to finalise recommendations made by the Anti-Terrorism National Action Plan Committee (ATNAPC), which will then be presented during the joint sitting of parliament.