Firm resolve: PM, army chief vow to wipe out terrorists

Nawaz assures all-out support to General Raheel on all actions he takes

ISLAMABAD:

Brushing aside dissenting voices, the top civil and military leadership vowed on Tuesday to continue the ongoing crackdown against criminals across the country.

The decision was taken during a meeting between Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the PM House in Islamabad, where they reviewed the overall security situation and the progress of Operation Zarb-e-Azb.

According to the official statement, it was decided that operations against criminals and terrorists would continue unhindered across the country to take advantage of the phenomenal successes of Operation Zarb-e-Azb.

The prime minister assured the army chief that the federal government and the entire nation was behind him in whatsoever action he took against terrorists. It was reiterated that Operation Zarb-e-Azb would be taken to its logical conclusion and terrorists and criminals would be hunted down indiscriminately.

The premier said the nation was proud of its valiant armed forces and highly valued the sacrifices rendered by its officers in the fight against terrorism.



Karachi op

Sources in the federal government told The Express Tribune that the country’s top civil and military leadership also contemplated the emerging situation in Sindh in view of the recent outburst of PPP Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari against the armed forces.

On June 17, Zardari launched an unusual tirade against the military establishment which was later claimed by his party leaders to have been directed at the retired generals only.

Sources said the civil and military leadership were on the same page with respect to the Karachi surgical operation. They agreed it was not the military versus politicians but rather a war between governance and corruption.

They also discussed Zardari’s move of backtracking from his original statement, but decided to wait and see how the PPP leader cooperated with the paramilitary Rangers in the coming days. The Karachi operation, sources said, would continue with the current setup if the Rangers and the National Accountability Bureau were allowed to perform their roles freely. Sources said the prime minister and the army chief also decided to give more powers to the Sindh Apex Committee up to replacing the role of the provincial chief executive for dealing with two major issues: transfers/postings of law enforcers and governance.

About the external security threats, Pakistan-Afghanistan relations and ties with India were also discussed.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 24^th, 2015.