PM Shehbaz Sharif chairs apex committee meeting

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is chairing a meeting of the National Apex Committee to discuss the law and order situation in the country, ARY News reported on Friday.

The high-level meeting is being attended by the top civil and military leadership. The civil and military leadership will be given a briefing on the terrorist attacks in Peshawar and Karachi.

The participants of the meeting will review the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP).

Prior to the apex committee meeting, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif here at the PM House. Professional as well as matters relating to national security were discussed in the meeting.

Kabul visit

The apex committee meeting comes a day after the visit of Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and DG ISI to Kabul.

“A high-ranking delegation led by the Minister for Defence visited Kabul today to meet with officials of the Afghan Interim Government to discuss security-related matters including counter-terrorism measures,” the Foreign Office said in a tweet on Thursday.

The delegation met with the acting deputy prime minister of Afghanistan Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, it added.

In a separate statement, the Afghan Council of Ministers said the two sides discussed economic cooperation, regional connectivity, trade, and bilateral relations.

“Pakistan and Afghanistan are neighbours and should have cordial relations. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan wants expansion of commercial and economic relations with Pakistan as such relations are in the interest of both countries,” the statement quoted Mullah Baradar as saying.

Previous apex committee meeting

Earlier in the month, PM Sharif chaired the apex committee meeting held at the KP Governor House.

The apex committee expressed its determination to protect the life and property of the people at every cost and make an example out of the terrorists who shed the blood of Pakistanis.

The committee assured the nation that those who attacked innocent Pakistanis, would be punished and the government would come up to its expectations, reported the state news agency.

The meeting reviewed, in detail, the incidents of terrorism, particularly the suicide attack on the mosque in Police Lines Peshawar on January 30 and its aftermath.

The officials of the intelligence agencies briefed the participants about the overall security situation and the action taken against the terrorists.

READ: PM SHEHBAZ SHARIF CALLS FOR UNITY IN FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM

The apex committee reiterated the resolve not to squander the sacrifices of the martyrs and the successes achieved so far against terrorism.

The committee also reviewed the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) and deliberated over the suggestions put forth for its improvement in accordance with contemporary needs.

The meeting also gave in-principle approval to the proposals for the upgradation of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), CTD and police, and the provision of training, weapons, technology and other necessary equipment to them.

It was decided that a CTD headquarters would be built immediately in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, besides establishing a forensic laboratory like the one in the Punjab province.

The meeting reviewed the mechanisms of border management control and immigration, besides deliberating over the processes of investigations against terrorists, prosecution and their conviction.