Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and top military commanders joined their heads in the federal capital on the NAP to discuss the loopholes in their counterterrorism strategy following a horrific suicide bombing in Quetta that killed 72 people.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Defence Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif and Director General Inter Services Public Relations Lieutenant General Asim Bajwa, Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi and Adviser to Prime Minister on National Security Lieutenant General (R) Nasir Khan Janjua were among the attendees of the high-level meeting.
Must Read: Quetta blast an attempt to sabotage Zarb-e-Azb, says COAS
The participants reiterated that the war against terror would continue nationwide but this time, with more aggressive strategy and strict laws.
Centre would support provinces; they all agreed and added that intelligence sharing needed improvements so that terror incidents in the future could be averted.
NAP was launched after the heinous attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar in December 2014 in a bid to deal with the menace of terrorism in the country.
But, after at least 72 people were killed in Quetta blast on Monday, concerns and questions are being raised over the effectiveness of the NAP.
Also Read: Death toll of Quetta hospital blast mounts to 72
Earlier on Tuesday, premier held another meeting with his security team in which the members prepared a comprehensive working paper for their meeting with the military top brass today.
“Quetta attack is an attempt to sabotage the ongoing operation Zarb-e-Azb in the country,” maintained General Raheel Sharif during a corps commanders’ conference held at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.
Top military commanders were of the view that the terrorist threat was changing in Pakistan since there was a nexus between aggressive actors in the neighbourhood and facilitators within the country.
COAS also directed his commanders and intelligence agencies that the combing and targeted operations across the country must intensify to flush out terrorists, groups and sleeper cells without scarifying more lives.
