ISLAMABAD - The political elite of the country has left it to the Armed Forces to decide about launching of military operation against the militants in South Waziristan Agency and elsewhere in the country. The decision to this effect was taken in a high-level meeting wherein the Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani gave a detailed briefing to political leadership on the prevailing national security situation and its ramifications in the future. The sources privy to the deliberations of the meeting informed TheNation that the political elite of the country stood behind the Armed Forces of the country in fighting out terrorism and gave it a free hand on deciding about the launching of a full-fledged military operation in South Waziristan Agency, widely considered as the hub of Tehrik-I-Taliban Pakistan responsible for the current wave of terror in the country. The sources closely monitoring the defence activities informed TheNation that Pakistan Army had already launched a controlled operation against the militants hiding in the difficult mountain terrain of South and North Waziristan agencies, and would go for an all out offensive after reviewing the ground realities including the harsh winter approaching fast. Some sources in the government informed this reporter that the Armed Forces had already deployed troops and more troops are being moved into the troubled areas and a full-fledged operation in the area could be launched any time. The sources further informed that during the meeting the political leadership has not only admired the role of Pakistan Army in the war on terror but also put its weight behind the military leadership in dealing with these miscreants in future as well. According to sources, the political leadership assembled together noted that there already existed an across the board consensus in the country to root out extremism and militancy while restoring the writ of the state. The political leadership observed that in spite of the successes in Malakand and Swat, the recent upsurge of terror incidents in the country were a matter of great concern and condemned these acts. It was further said that these elements had posed a serious threat to the sovereignty and integrity of the state and these must be eliminated at all cost. They also appreciated the sacrifices and the ongoing efforts of the Pakistan Army in this regard. The meeting, which was presided over by Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, was attended by President PML, Senator Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, President ANP, Asfandyar Wali Khan, PML (N) Leaders, Mian Shahbaz Sharif and Ch. Nisar Ali Khan, Convener MQM Rabita Committee, Dr. Farooq Sattar, President BNP(A), Senator Israrullah Zehri, President PPP(S), Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, Leader of Parliamentarians from FATA, Munir Khan Orakzai, Chairman Parliamentary Committee on National Security, Mian Raza Rabbani, Pir Sadruddin Shah of PML(F), Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani of JUI(F) and Engineer Amir Muqam of PML. Minister for Defence, Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Minister of Finance, Shaukat Fayyaz Tarin, Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira, Minister for Interior, Rehman Malik, Governor NWFP, Owais Ahmed Ghani, Chief Minister NWFP, Amir Haidar Khan Hoti, DG, ISI; DG, IB and other senior government official were also present during the meeting. Earlier in the morning Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani held one on one meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari and discussed with him the situation arising out of the current wave of terror in the country. Both President and Prime Minister once again reiterated their stance that terrorists would be flushed out from the country and no one would be allowed to use countrys territory for terrorist activities. Both the leaders also expressed satisfaction over the ongoing operation against terrorists and stressed the need for more coordinated efforts to frustrate the nefarious designs of these non-state actors. The Prime Minister also briefed President Zardari about his visit to China.