ISLAMABAD - The top military brass, at a Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC) meeting on Wednesday, resolved to fight terrorism under a comprehensive strategy within the policy parameters set by the political leadership.
The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued a statement after the meeting of the JCSC.
The rare and strongly-worded statement which did not mince words to reaffirm what it described as the resolve of the armed forces to fight the menace of terrorism followed the meeting chaired by Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Rashad Mahmood and attended by the three services chiefs and defence officials.
The maiden meeting of the CJCSC under the incumbent capacity, held at the Joint Staff Headquarters (JSHQ), witnessed discussion on the issues related to national security and emerging regional environment.
“The participants expressed their satisfaction over the standard of preparedness of the armed forces to take on the upcoming challenges being faced by the country,” the ISPR said.
Just a day earlier on Tuesday, the army chief along with his top commanders assured the prime minister of the military’s complete backing and support to the government in line with the peace talks with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Commenting on the meeting, former Fata chief secretary Brig (r) Mahmood Shah believed the military action against terrorists was inevitable, sooner or later.
“The TTP cannot be trusted,” he told The Nation. “Considering what the TTP terrorists did in the past under the garb of ceasefire and peace agreements, our security commanders stand completely justified in considering the other options. The TTP has probably sensed that aggression would trigger a befitting response,” he said.
Regarding the prevailing confusion shrouding the government’s line of action with regard to the TTP, Shah said, “I think this is a carrot and stick policy and I believe stick has to be the eventual outcome, which has been well decided. For the time being, it will be carrot’s show. In these kinds of scenarios, the things keep changing and the cards have to be thrown accordingly.”
According to the ISPR, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Asif Sandila, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt, Defence Secretary Lt-Gen (r) Asif Yasin Malik, Defence Production Secretary Lt-Gen (r) Tanvir Tahir and senior military officers from the three services attended the JCSC meeting.
It was a quarterly moot of the senior military leadership to assess and evaluate the operational preparedness of the armed forces, the media release said.