Islamabad:
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.
The Committee has seriously expressed the concern about the excessive use of social media platforms by terrorist groups to spread propaganda, recruit followers and coordinate attacks, highlighting the need for immediate measures to slow down these abuses. He also underlined the need to establish procedures to block the digital networks of terrorists.
The press release indicates that the committee appreciated the bravery, the courage and the professional expertise of the security forces and the police (Lea) in the fight against terrorism and reiterated the unwavering commitment of Pakistan to eliminate terrorism in all its forms. The committee also expressed its solidarity with the families of people affected by terrorist activities.
Shehbaz read the Declaration, which was adopted unanimously by the Committee. The forum highlighted the need for strategic political determination and united to deal with the threat with all the strength of the State and called for a national consensus in the fight against terrorism.
Reaffirming its unwavering support for the armed forces and the Lea, the committee recognized its immense sacrifices and its resolution for national defense, declaring that the nation was standing in the shoulder with the armed forces, the police, the FC and the intelligence agencies in the war against terrorism.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that the KP Minister of KP, Ali Amin Gandapur, stressed the security problems of the province, calling for increased federal support and an improvement in the allocation of resources to merged tribal districts. He underlined the need to strengthen the morale of the police and the security forces, mentioning continuous efforts to increase their wages.
In addition, according to reports, the chief of Jamiat Ulema-E-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Maulana Fazlur Rehman, expressed his disappointment as to the absence of PTI of the meeting, declaring that all the political forces should have participated in the discussions concerning national security.
Former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari underlined the need for a strong diplomatic response to counter the terrorist networks operating in Afghanistan. He warned that instability in Afghanistan fueled terrorism in Pakistan and asked for a decisive commitment with international partners.
The meeting ended with President Ayaz Sadiq expressing the regret of the opposition decision to jump the session, stressing that security challenges required a collective response beyond political divisions.
The meeting was called after the security problems intensified following a series of attacks, in particular in Balutchistan, where activists recently diverted a passenger train and made a bombardment of suicide on a convoy of the security forces.
Earlier, terrorists had attacked the canton of Bannu in Kp, where 16 terrorists were killed and five soldiers were martyred. In addition, Maulana Hamidul Haw Haqqani was one of six people who died in a recent suicide attack at Darul Uloom Haqqani in the KP Nowshera district.
