NSC forms apex committee to deal with unrest

Decision comes after school van was attacked in Swat, killing its driver and leaving two children injured

ISLAMABAD:

The National Security Committee (NSC) on Friday decided to form an apex committee at the central level under the chairmanship of the prime minister to deal with the growing incidents of unrest in Swat and other parts of the country while further deciding to fully revive the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta).

The NSC meeting was held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister House on Friday, in which, apart from federal ministers, services chiefs, heads of intelligence agencies and other senior officials participated.

Member of National Assembly Mohsin Dawar and Awami National Party leader Mian Iftikhar Hussain were also in attendance.

The NSC reviewed the law and order situation in Swat and other parts of the country as people took to the streets in Swat against the rising violence in the valley after a school van was attacked, leaving the driver dead and two children injured earlier this week.

While condoling with the bereaved families, the NSC made it clear that the blood of every citizen of Pakistan was precious and those involved in shedding blood would be dealt strictly as per the law. The NSC noted that the citizens along with armed forces have rendered unprecedented sacrifices and played a historical role in the war against terrorism.

While forming the apex committee and reviving Nacta, the NSC ruled that Nacta will work in collaboration with the provincial-level counter-terrorism departments (CTDs). The top-level huddle also decided to revitalise the anti-terrorism system at the federal and provincial levels while further giving a nod to equip the anti-terrorist system with modern technology.

The civil-military huddle while reviewing the system ruled that flaws should be pointed out; upgradation should be done where required; and the system shall be used for monitoring functions to ensure continuous improvement.

Without elaborating much, the official statement said that the civil-military leaderships’ meeting also approved effective measures for providing foolproof security to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects. In this regard, Nacta will be responsible for collaboration and decisions would be implemented by the provinces.

The statement said that the meeting reviewed the overall law and order situation in the country in detail, adding that the officials concerned gave briefings on the law and order situation. During the meeting, the huddle lauded the role of all the law enforcement agencies, including Pakistan Army, Rangers, and police for their efforts to bring peace in the country. It also paid tributes to the officers and soldiers who were martyred while defending the motherland.

The meeting saluted the families of the martyrs and acknowledged that the martyrs have engraved great stories of bravery for the country and the nation. It was reiterated that the sacrifices of the martyrs will not go in vain.

The meeting declared that the nation and state institutions were one soul and voice when it came to protecting the life and property of citizens, safeguarding geographical boundaries, establishing rule of law and upholding the Constitution, saying that the entire nation was not only united and single-minded on these goals but their achievement will be ensured at any cost.