Punjab operation: Civil-military huddle pledges indiscriminate action

Joint Operations Coordination Committee vows coordinated planning and conduct of operations

LAHORE:

A civil-military committee overseeing an intelligence-driven counterterrorism purge in Punjab has decided to pursue vigorous and indiscriminate action against terrorists of all hues in the province.

The Joint Operations Coordination Committee “decided to vigorously undertake coordinated actions across the board against all terrorist outfits and their facilitators,” said a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).



The committee was convened following a meeting between the Punjab chief minister and the Lahore corps commander on Saturday, Attendees included  senior civil and military officials of the province and heads of civil and military intelligence agencies.

The meeting agreed to revitalise the committee to carry out intelligence assessment, joint development of security mosaic and direct all operations in Punjab, according to the ISPR.

“It was decided to vigorously undertake coordinated actions across the board against all terrorist outfits and their facilitators,” it said. “[An] integrated security mechanism will be made fully operational so as to utilise it effectively at divisional and district levels through cohesive coordination between civil and military components.”



The committee decided appropriate force application according to varying nature of targets. “To that end, operations led by civil and military intelligence agencies will be launched by the army, the Rangers, CTD [Counter-Terrorism Department] and police as required, followed by constant review and regulation by the Joint Operations Coordination Committee.”

The meeting pledged to exterminate terrorism from the province through coordinated planning and conduct of operations.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 10^th, 2016.