ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top army generals reviewed national security challenges on Tuesday following a series of coordinated militant attacks by a separatist outfit in the southwestern Balochistan province last month that killed more than 50 people, vowing not to let the “hard-earned” gains against such groups to be reversed.
The army has carried out a number of intelligence-based operations in Pakistan’s western region, including the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), in recent months to quell extremist and separatist violence, killing a number of fighters from various armed factions while also sacrificing its soldiers.
The meeting of top officials, led by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir, began with the remembrance of these soldiers, according to an official statement that said they had “laid down their lives in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in pursuit of peace and stability of Pakistan.”
“The forum was briefed on the prevailing geo-strategic environment, national security challenges, and strategic and operational responses to emerging threats,” the statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, informed.
“In assessing the inimical forces, malicious actors, subversive proxies, and the facilitators of Pakistan’s external and internal adversaries, particularly those active in Balochistan and KPK, the forum deliberated on a range of measures to neutralize these threats,” it added. “The forum reaffirmed that the Pakistan Army, with the unwavering support of the people, will not allow the hard-earned successes against terrorism to be reversed.”
The statement highlighted the professionalism, integrity and loyalty to the state within the army, attributing these qualities to a “well-established and rigorous system of accountability” that ensures these values are preserved within its ranks.
The army has recently taken action against its own officials, including Lt. Gen. (retired) Faiz Hameed, the former director general of the country’s most powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency, by launching court martial proceedings on charges of extortion and meddling in politics.
“This strict adherence to accountability fortifies the Army’s integrity, ensuring that no individual is above the law or exempt from scrutiny,” it continued.
It also noted that law enforcement agencies would take “swift and lawful action against terrorists, anarchists, and criminal mafias” in the country.
The top army forum, which has previously highlighted the issue of “digital terrorists” spreading disinformation on social media, also reiterated the need to safeguard national cyberspace.
Pakistani generals vow to defend ‘hard-earned gains’ against militants after Balochistan attacks
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Pakistani generals vow to defend ‘hard-earned gains’ against militants after Balochistan attacks
- The meeting discussed the army’s ‘rigorous system of accountability,’ saying it ensures professionalism and loyalty
- Pakistani generals also reiterated the need to safeguard national cyberspace among concerns over disinformation
Pakistan, seven Muslim nations back Palestinian technocratic body, stress Gaza-West Bank unity
- The National Committee for the Administration of the Gaza Strip was announced on January 14
- Muslim nations call for consolidation of the ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian aid into Gaza
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and seven other Muslim-majority countries on Thursday welcomed the formation of a temporary Palestinian technocratic body to administer Gaza, stressing that it must manage daily civilian affairs while preserving the institutional and territorial link between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank amid the ongoing peace efforts.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Türkiye, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates said the newly announced National Committee for the Administration of the Gaza Strip would play a central role during the second phase of a broader peace plan aimed at ending the war and paving the way for Palestinian self-governance.
“The Ministers emphasize the importance of the National Committee commencing its duties in managing the day-to-day affairs of the people of Gaza, while preserving the institutional and territorial link between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, ensuring the unity of Gaza, and rejecting any attempts to divide it,” the statement said.
The committee, announced on Jan. 14, is a temporary transitional body established under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803 and is to operate in coordination with the Palestinian Authority, the ministers said.
The statement said the move forms part of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s Comprehensive Peace Plan for Gaza, which the ministers said they supported, praising Trump’s efforts to end the war, ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces and prevent the annexation of the occupied West Bank.
The top leaders of all eight Muslim countries attended a meeting with Trump in New York last September, shortly before he unveiled the Gaza peace plan.
The ministers also called for the consolidation of the ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian aid into Gaza, early recovery and reconstruction and the eventual return of the Palestinian Authority to administer the territory, leading to a just and sustainable peace based on UN resolutions and a two-state solution on pre-1967 lines with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.
