ISLAMABAD - The civil-military leadership yesterday vowed hostile intelligence agencies and their facilitators would not be allowed to foment terrorism inside Pakistan.
At a high-level meeting at the GHQ, the leaders discussed issues relating to national security while taking cognisance of the ongoing regional developments and nefarious designs of foreign forces against the stability and prosperity of the country.
According to informed sources, it was a prescheduled meeting. A statement released by the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said Army chief General Raheel Sharif, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) DG and other senior civil and military officials attended the meeting. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Special Assistant to PM on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi and Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry represented the civilian side.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to enduring regional peace, the meeting asserted that hostile intelligence agencies would not be allowed to foment trouble inside the country. The participants vowed that hostile intelligence agencies and their facilitators would not be allowed to “foment trouble inside Pakistan,” the ISPR said.
The issues relating to the country’s internal and external security, including China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), were also discussed.
The participants expressed concern over the May 21 US drone strike targeting former Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Mansour in Balochistan, saying it was a clear violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty.
The US drone, the meeting said, affected mutual trust and undermined the spirit of the Afghan peace process under the mutually-agreed framework decided by the Quadrilateral Coordination Group.
The meeting also took cognisance of the ongoing regional developments and inimical designs against the country’s stability and prosperity. The leadership resolved to protect the core national interests and effectively counter negative external influence.
The meeting comes as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is recovering from open-heart surgery in London. Nawaz was discharged from the hospital on Monday after a weeklong stay. He will be overseeing the affairs of the government from London, according to the Prime Minister’s House Media Cell. He is likely to return to Pakistan before the end of Ramazan.
Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong called on Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif yesterday. General Raheel Sharif discussed with Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong and the regional security situation, besides the issues relating to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
In a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), during the meeting of Army Chief General Raheel Sharif with the Chinese ambassador, the two sides exchanged views on the regional situation and other issues of mutual interest.
Chinese Envoy Sun Weidong appreciated the achievements and sacrifices of the Pakistan Army to maintain peace in the region and the world.
The army chief had vowed on June 2 that the Pak armed forces were ready to pay any price to turn the long-cherished dream of the CPEC into reality. He had said that the armed forces were well aware of the hostilities being perpetuated against the project which promised to transform the lives of the people of Pakistan.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has frequently asserted that the CPEC would prove to be the game-changer in the region.