ISLAMABAD Aug 30(TNS): Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is chairing a National Security Committee (NSC) meeting here today (Wednesday) to chalk out a policy in response to revised United States policy for Afghanistan and South Asia.
Three heads of Pakistan Armed Forces alongside the federal ministers are attending the meeting. This is the second NSC meeting within a week.
The participants are expected to discuss matters pertaining to security issues, reviewing situation arising from United States (US) President Donald Trump’s recent blistering allegations on Pakistan while unveiling revised US policy for the region.
The attendees are also expected to review the latest developments in Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad in connection with the internal and external security besides Indian ceasefire violations on Line of Control (LoC).
Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Zubair Hayat, Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman, National Security Advisor retired Lt. General Nasser Khan Janjua, senior civil and military officials are in attendance.
Earlier on August 24, National Security Committee had out rightly rejected the specific allegations and insinuation made by the United States President Donald Trump against Pakistan.
The meeting of National Security Committee was held in Islamabad on Thursday (last week) with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in the chair to discuss the Trump Administration’s South Asia Strategy.
The committee observed that to blame Pakistan will not help in stabilizing Afghanistan. In fact, being its immediate neighbor, Pakistan has an abiding interest in peace and stability in Afghanistan.
“Pakistan has to manage the blow-back of a protracted conflict in Afghanistan that resulted in deluge of refugees, flow of drugs and arms and more recently in the shape of terrorist safe havens in eastern Afghanistan from where anti-Pakistan terrorist groups continue to operate and launch attacks inside Pakistan,” the committee observed.
The fact remains that the complex issues and internal dynamics inside Afghanistan pose a grave challenge not only to Pakistan but to the broader region and the international community.
While noting the US commitment to continue to shoulder the burden of Afghanistan and reverse the expanding ungoverned spaces in the country, the National Security Committee observed that Pakistan has consistently supported all international efforts for a stable and peaceful Afghanistan and has also committed more than a billion US dollars for infrastructure and social development in that country.
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