- Problems that were raised seven years ago have resurfaced as a serious crisis: Nawaz.
- PTI to assist APC in Operation Azm-e-Istehkam
- Senior military officers denounce undue criticism of anti-terrorist operation
Following the announcement of a new anti-terror campaign, Operation Azm-e-Istehkam (Resolution for Stability), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif on Saturday called for extending “unwavering support to the armed forces and security institutions to eradicate terrorism from the country.”
“[The] “The issues that were fought seven years ago have now again become a serious crisis,” Nawaz said in a meeting with PML-N's parliamentary leader in the Senate, Irfan Siddiqui, in Murree today.
Slamming opposition criticism against Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, the former prime minister said some elements behind the country's “instability” and “defamation” abroad were not interested [fortifying] democracy.
He urged all stakeholders to show firm support to security institutions to eliminate the menace of terrorism.
The PML-N top leader made the statement after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif decided to organise an all-party conference (APC) to take all stakeholders into confidence over the newly launched anti-terror operation, a revitalised and re-energised nationwide counter-terrorism campaign following a surge in terror attacks.
Last week, the federal cabinet approved the launch of the anti-terror operation following recommendations of the National Action Plan Central Committee to increase pressure on militants attacking Pakistan, which would focus on intelligence-driven operations rather than large-scale military action.
Regarding the scope of the new operation, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also revealed in a recent interview with the Voice of America (VoA) that Pakistan could target terrorist hideouts across the border in Afghanistan to chase outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups for carrying out attacks on Pakistani soil.
However, opposition parties including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam Fazl (JUI-F), Awami National Party (ANP) and others have expressed concern over the military operation and demanded that parliament be taken into confidence before taking any such decision.
Jailed PTI founder Imran Khan announced a day ago that his party would participate in the PML-N government-sponsored APC and “listen to what the government has to say.”
The PTI founder, while noting that his party has reservations about the new anti-terror action, said it would “only lead to further instability” in the country.
Responding to the criticism, the military's top brass had earlier denounced undue criticism of the newly launched anti-terrorist operation, saying the “vision” was being deliberately distorted to benefit “vested interests.”
“The forum noted with concern the unwarranted criticism from some quarters and deliberate misrepresentation of the vision, just to further their vested interests,” the ISPR had said after the Corps Commanders' Conference (CCC).
