Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said Pakistan could carry out operations in Afghanistan to target terrorists.
Addressing a private channel, the Minister of Defense said: “If we have to go after the enemies of Pakistan in a country, we will.”
He stressed that Pakistan can take strong measures against forces that provide safe shelters to hostile elements. Regarding Pakistan prohibited from Tehrik-E-Taliban (TTP), Khawaja Asif accused the Afghan government of supporting TTP terrorists.
He also said that during the mandate of the former Prime Minister Imran Khan, the TTP had been brought back to the region to establish a private militia, which he said had harmed the country’s internal security.
Khawaja Asif also mentioned that the National Action Plan (NAP) already exists and is now reintegrated in effectively eliminating terrorism.
The National Security Parliamentary Committee approved a unanimous statement on Tuesday, reaffirming Pakistan’s unshakable commitment to eradicate terrorism in all its forms and promising decisive action against elements threatening national stability.
The main civilian and military leaders in the country reiterated this commitment at the first meeting of the Committee under the coalition government led by the Muslim League of Pakistan in office (PML-N). However, the meeting was boycotted by the main opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-E-insaf (PTI), among others.
The committee stressed that no institution, individual or group acting in collusion with hostile forces would be authorized to undermine peace and stability of Pakistan. While expressing his regret in the absence of certain members of the opposition, an official press release said that consultations on the issue would continue.
The session to the camera, chaired by the president of the National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq, was frequented by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, chief of staff of the army (COAS) Asim Munnir, key, key, parliamentarian and senior military ministers.
The military management provided a detailed briefing on the dominant security situation, in particular in Balutchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The meeting was informed of the operations to combat current terrorism, recent threats and the complete state strategy to ensure internal security.
Prime Minister Shehbaz, in his speech, underlined the government’s determination to eliminate terrorism, recognizing the sacrifices of the security forces. He expressed his concern in the face of the security challenges that Balutchistan and KP face that national unity was imperative to counter these threats.
The participants in the meeting said that the army chief had delivered approximately a one hour briefing, describing the operational measures of the military and the actions based on intelligence against terrorist groups. In addition, they said, the director general of military operations completed the briefing with presentation on strategic countermeasures.
According to the official declaration, the Committee, while strongly condemning the recent wave of terrorist activities, called for the immediate implementation of the National Action Plan and the AZM-E-Tistehkam strategy to dismantle terrorist networks, limit logistical support and eliminate the link between terrorism and crime.
