The Federal Apex Committee of the National Action Plan on Tuesday approved a comprehensive military operation against terrorist organisations operating in Balochistan and targeting civilians and foreign nationals to hamper the country’s economic progress by creating insecurity at the “behest of hostile external powers”.
The country has lately witnessed a sharp uptick in the number of attacks targeting security forces, other law enforcement agencies, and security checkpoints, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
At least 26 people, including 16 security personnel, lost their lives and 61 others were injured in a suicide bombing at a Quetta railway station earlier this month. The banned Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the blast, stating that its Majeed Brigade had carried out the attack.
The agenda of today’s apex committee meeting focused on “Reinvigorating Pakistan’s Counter Terrorism (CT) Campaign”.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired the meeting in Islamabad, attended by the federal cabinet, provincial chief ministers, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir and senior government officials, according to a press release from the PM Office.
The participants were briefed on the evolving security landscape and the measures being taken to counter terrorism and other critical challenges, including general law and order situation, actions against efforts to stoke sub-nationalism, religious extremism, tackling the illegal spectrum and crime-terror nexus, subversion and disinformation campaigns, among other issues.
The committee highlighted the necessity of a unified political voice and a cohesive national narrative to effectively address the multifaceted challenges.
It was emphasised in the meeting that political support across party lines and complete national consensus were critical to reinvigorating the national CT campaign under the framework of Vision Azm-i-Istehkam.
The participants also agreed to revitalise the National Counter Terrorism Authority and establish the National and Provincial Intelligence Fusion and Threat Assessment Centre.
A whole-of-system approach was adopted, incorporating diplomatic, political, informational, intelligence, socio-economic and military efforts to address issues comprehensively.
Specific emphasis was placed in the meeting on strengthening collaboration between federal and provincial governments and between relevant institutions and ministries to ensure seamless execution of the CT campaign.
It was decided to establish district coordination committees under the Provincial Apex Committees to ensure the implementation of directions received from federal and provincial governments. The forum demonstrated political resolve to dismantle the ecosystem of illegal spectrum and crime-terror nexus.
At the conclusion, the prime minister directed all stakeholders to pursue the outlined initiatives with vigour, ensuring their timely implementation.
He underscored the importance of sustained, coordinated efforts to protect Pakistan’s sovereignty, ensure the safety of its citizens and reinforce economic and social stability.
COAS Munir reiterated the Pakistan Army’s unwavering resolve to eliminate all threats to national security and provide robust support to the government’s initiatives aimed at ensuring peace and stability.
