Islamabad, Dec. 18 (TNS): The sixteenth meeting of the National Security Committee was held in Islamabad on Monday with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in the chair.
The National Security Committee condemned the terrorist attack on the Bethel Memorial Methodist Church in Quetta, terming it to be against the fundamental tenets of peace and tolerance taught by Islam.
“The attack is against the Islamic teachings of tolerance and peace,” the committee agreed.
Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal and National Security Adviser Lieutenant General (retired) Nasser Janjua along with senior military and civil leadership were in attendance.
Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua briefed the committee on the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit in Istanbul.
“Trump’s one-sided decisions are not acceptable by Pakistan,” the committee declared, referring to the recent announcement by the US president to acknowledge Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Observing that these two decisions had created an incomprehensible situation not just for the Muslim Ummah but also for the international community in general, the Committee emphasized that the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian State remained a major objective of the Muslim Ummah, that Pakistan cannot accept the unilateral decisions taken by the Trump Administration, and that it would continue to impress upon the United States its moral and political responsibility towards a just and fair resolution of the issue, and the need to revoke the steps taken.
The National Security Committee also reviewed the rapidly evolving security situation in the Middle East as well as the latest developments in Pakistan’s relations with the GCC States and Iran.
After thorough analysis, the meeting reaffirmed that Pakistan would continue to work for the unity and solidarity of the Muslim Ummah, for which it shall intensify its efforts in view of the growing challenges.
The Secretary Interior apprised the Committee of the progress made in each of the twenty areas of the National Action Plan (NAP).
The Committee observed that while fair progress had been made in the implementation of the NAP, certain areas, such as policy and institutional reform, needed more commitment and attention.
The Committee also observed that as a responsible member of the International community, Pakistan would continue to fulfill its obligations under the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) framework, which would be shared in due course with the FATF.
Finally, the National Security Committee tasked the National Security Advisor to finalise the National Security Policy at the earliest after taking all stakeholders on board.
