Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Wednesday held separate meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, and discussed the overall security issues in the tribal areas and Malakand division. Sources said that the Army Chief briefed the President and the Prime Minister about the latest development regarding the ongoing military operation against militants in the South Waziristan Agancy (SWA).
The sources also said that the Army Chief discussed with the leaders about the recent visits of the top US army officials to Pakistan and their point of view about Pakistan's role in the war on terror. However, the top military and the civilian leadership agreed to take steps by keeping Pakistan's interests first.
It is pertinent to note that the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Army Staff also held similar meetings with the President and the Prime Minister on Tuesday. The Army Chief, the sources claimed, also informed the President and the Prime Minister about the strategy evolved by the Pak Army to handle the situation in the aftermath of the ongoing operation "Rah-e-Nijat" and expanding it to some areas where the militants were believed to be taking refuge.
President Zardari appreciated the sacrifices and the professionalism of the Pak Army and its effective role to defeat the terrorists and the extremists in Malakand division and the tribal areas, it is learnt. The sources further said that the Army Chief informed the leaders about the army strategy prepared for the rehabilitation of IDPs of the Waziristan.