PM Shehbaz, Gen Qamar hold first meeting

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday, a week after the latter became the 23rd prime minister of Pakistan by ousting PTI Chairman Imran Khan through a parliamentary vote of no-confidence.

During the meeting, professional matters, including national security issues, were discussed, said a brief statement issued in the evening.

Earlier in the day, the members of the federal cabinet were administered oaths by Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani after the unavailability of President Arif Alvi.

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The meeting came amid an increase in attacks on security forces along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, resulting in the martyrdom of soldiers over the weeks.

In a strongly-worded statement, Pakistan had told the Afghan Taliban to put an end to cross-border attacks emanating from Afghan soil.

Similarly, the army is facing a smear campaign on social media following the removal of the PTI government. The army chief had recently said that efforts to create a "wedge between army and people won’t be tolerated".

"The hostile forces are trying this for a long time but they won’t succeed InshAllah,” the Inter-Service Public Relations quoted COAS Bajwa as saying.