— Huddle takes note of TTP sanctuaries in ‘neighbouring country’ impacting Pakistan’s security
— Forum briefed on army’s role in uplifting agriculture, IT, mining, minerals under SIFC ambit
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Army’s top brass on Monday vowed to fully support the strategic initiatives planned by the government of Pakistan for the revival of the economy by providing all possible technical and management support for the overall good of the people of Pakistan, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir presided over the 258th Corps Commanders’ Conference (CCC) held at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, the military’s media wing said.
“The sanctuaries and liberty of action available to the terrorists of proscribed TTP [Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan] and other groups of that ilk in a neighbouring country and availability of latest weapons to the terrorists were noted as major reasons impacting the security of Pakistan,” it added.
The statement came a day after the Afghan Taliban spokesperson rejected Pakistani allegations and insisted that TTP was not operating out of Afghan soil. The spokesperson also said that the Doha agreement was between the Afghan Taliban and US and Pakistan was not part of it.
The Taliban denial of the presence of TTP is seen as astonishing as the interim government previously hosted talks between Pakistani officials and TTP leadership in Kabul.
The new stance by the Afghan Taliban suggests a growing mistrust between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The TTP has emerged as a major stumbling block between the two countries. Despite Pakistan’s repeated requests, the Afghan Taliban were not willing to tackle the TTP.
The lack of action and recent surge in terrorist attacks compelled the civil and military leadership to adopt more aggressive stance against Kabul.
The forum was apprised about the government’s economic revival plan and the role of the army in uplifting agriculture, IT, mining and mineral and defence production sectors under the ambit of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC).
The forum also paid rich tribute to the supreme sacrifices persistently being offered by the valiant soldiers in the defence of their motherland against the threat of terrorism.
According to ISPR, the participants were briefed in detail about the prevailing internal security environment.
The forum deliberated in detail upon the operational preparedness and training aspects of the army.
“Objective training remains the hallmark of our professionalism and we must always remain prepared to guard against any threat to our national security,” COAS was quoted as saying.
The participants vowed to fully support the strategic initiatives planned by the government of Pakistan for the revival of the economy by providing all possible technical and management support for the overall good of the people of Pakistan.
