‘Hostile’ spy agencies funding terrorists in Pakistan: COAS

Top military brass reviews security situation, prospects of Afghan peace talks

ISLAMABAD:

‘Hostile’ intelligence agencies from other countries are funding terrorists inside Pakistan, army chief General Raheel Sharif said on Wednesday while chairing a meeting of the military’s top brass at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi

“Terrorists are being funded externally by hostile intelligence agencies and have their sympathisers at home who provide them shelter and refuge,” he said at the corps commanders’ meeting which reviewed the domestic and regional security situation.



At the same time, Gen Raheel said he is “optimistic that we will succeed in bringing enduring peace in Pakistan.”

“The resilience of the whole nation and the professionalism of our security forces are our real assets. We will defeat the nefarious designs of our enemies and eliminate terrorists from Pakistan’s soil,” he added.

The army chief stressed that “though Pakistan has achieved significant successes in Operation Zarb-e-Azb, the war against terrorism is complex and requires steadfast and unified response.”

Apart from the security situation, the meeting discussed the prospects of the resumption of the peace process in Afghanistan. It took place just days after a meeting of Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) urged the insurgents to resume dialogue at the earliest.

The group comprising Pakistan, Afghanistan, the United States and China was established in December last year as part of renewed push to resurrect the stalled Afghan peace talks. The group in its last meeting held in Islamabad last week adopted a road map for the resumption of peace talks. It also picked a tentative date for the face-to-face meeting between the Afghan government and the Taliban later this month.



Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement that the corps commanders made a holistic review of the internal and regional security situation, including reconciliation in Afghanistan and security of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

“Participants discussed the importance of timely and dignified return of TDPs. Gen Raheel reiterated that all efforts and resources will be employed to bring about lasting stability and socio economic revival for prosperity and well being of displaced people of affected areas,” the statement added.


Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th, 2016.