The government has decided to launch military operation against terrorists in South Waziristan and to hold talks with US officials over disputed clauses of Kerry-Lugar Bill, sources told Business Recorder on Saturday. They said that the political and military leadership of the country took these decisions in a meeting held at the Presidency on Saturday.
President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and ISI Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha participated in the meeting. The meeting, sources said, discussed the controversial clauses of Kerry-Lugar Bill, military operation in South Waziristan, Saturday's terrorist attack on GHQ, and the law and order situation in the country.
The meeting finalised the strategy for launching military operation in South Waziristan. Sources said that in the meeting the President and Prime Minister gave final authority to the Chief of Army Staff to start military operation against terrorists in South Waziristan. About Kerry-Lugar Bill, sources said, the President agreed to take up army's reservations over the Kerry-Lugar bill with the US.
The meeting also decided to convey Pakistan's reservations on certain clauses of the bill to the US authorities. Sources said the President and Prime Minister decided to hold talks with the US administration over the controversial points of the bill. Sources said that the meeting also discussed the prevailing security situation, with particular reference to the attack on GHQ and the recent attacks in Peshawar and Islamabad.
Earlier, the Prime Minister separately called on the President and discussed the current political situation with him. Sources said that the Prime Minister discussed the issue of National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) with the President.