The Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) on Friday termed the release of US diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks an attempt to harm the image of the country, a private TV channel reported. According to the channel, the committee, which met in Islamabad at Prime Minister's House with Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani in the chair, reiterated government's resolve to eradicate terrorism and effectively foil the nefarious designs of Pakistan's enemies.
Meanwhile, a press release issued after the DCC meeting said that Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani welcomed the new Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff Committee General Wynne and also wished General Kayani every success in his new term.
In his opening remarks, while presiding over the DCC meeting, he further appreciated the very effective rescue and relief efforts by the Armed Forces and other organisations in the wake of the floods calamity. All the three Services, he added, responded promptly and rendered invaluable humanitarian assistance as well as co-operation to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in carrying out rescue and relief work.
The meeting of DCC, he said, has been convened to review the security situation in the wake of current developments. The Prime Minister lauded the role and contributions of the Armed Forces and the Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) for successfully confronting the threat to internal security posed by terrorism. Our success in meeting these challenges, he said, once again illustrates the tremendous resolve and resilience of the people of Pakistan and the strength of Pakistan's institutions.
It demonstrates the spirit of nationalism, he mentioned that on issues of national security, there is a complete unanimity among all the State institutions and all the political parties. The whole nation, he stated, is firmly united. Safeguarding of Pakistan's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, the Prime Minister said, is a sacred duty. Pakistan is a peace-loving country, he added, and has consistently endeavoured to promote regional peace and stability.
However, he emphasised we will never be complacent about our national defence. Pakistan, he said is being directly impacted by turbulence in our near and far neighbourhoods. The conflict and strife in Afghanistan has, for 30 years, adversely affected Pakistan in multiple ways.
The Prime Minister said that despite our best efforts, our quest for a just and durable peace in South Asia has so far proved elusive. Indian Occupied Kashmir is again on the boil with indigenous resistance of Kashmiri people to Indian occupation. Pakistan, he stated, will continue to extend full moral, diplomatic and political support to the Kashmiri brothers and sisters.
The Prime Minister said while there are challenges, there are also tremendous opportunities. Pakistan's domestic and external policies, he added, need to be crafted skilfully with a view to ensuring the protection and promotion of Pakistan's national interests and the aggregation of Pakistan's national strength.
The multiplicity and the size of challenges to our national security, he said, demand that we may have to make a departure from our traditional thinking and look for out of box solutions and alternate strategies. He reaffirmed that we have potential and resilience to face these challenges upfront and come up to the aspirations of the people in the country.
The Prime Minister briefing the participants of DCC on his recent visit to Dushanbe to participate in the Heads of Government meeting of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO), said the essential purpose was to associate Pakistan with this important regional co-operative endeavour that holds not only great promise for the future of the peoples of our region but is also critical to global peace, security and prosperity. The most notable outcome of the meeting he said, was the decision to enable Pakistan, among other observers, to fully participate in the SCO's economic, trade and development agenda.
He referred to his meetings in Dushanbe with the heads of delegations including the President and the Prime Minister of Tajikistan, Prime Ministers of Russia, China and Kazakhstan as very useful and encouraging. He gave details of his discussions with these leaders. He also sought views of the participants of DCC on his upcoming visit to Afghanistan.
The DCC reviewed the security challenges faced by Pakistan and expressed satisfaction on the defence preparedness. It also took stock of the challenges faced by terrorism and expressed satisfaction on the anti-terrorism and law enforcement actions undertaken by the security forces. It was decided to prosecute with full vigour the counter-terrorism campaign. The committee renewed the government's resolve to eliminate terrorism and effectively foil the nefarious designs of the enemies of Pakistan.
The DCC also deliberated on global and regional developments that were impacting on peace and security of Pakistan. In this context the DCC affirmed the strong commitment of the government and people of Pakistan to defend the country's honour, dignity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. It further reaffirmed that Pakistan's defence forces and its strategic and conventional capabilities will continue to be strengthened.
The DCC also expressed full solidarity and support of government and people of Pakistan for the just struggle of the Kashmiri people for their inalienable right of self-determination, as prescribed in relevant UN resolutions.
The DCC reviewed the global and regional situation and, in particular, recent developments pertaining to South Asia and Afghanistan. The DCC reaffirmed Pakistan's desire to promote strategic stability in South Asia; the importance of maintenance of regional balance; and just resolution of all outstanding issues.
The DCC also underscored the importance of establishing good neighbourly and co-operative relations with India on the basis of equality, mutual interest and mutual respect. The DCC considered the Nato Lisbon Summit decision relating to Afghanistan and emphasised the importance of early restoration of durable peace, security and stability. It expressed Pakistan's full solidarity and support for the historic endeavours of the Afghan people and government in this regard.
The DCC underscored the importance of Prime Minister's forthcoming visit to Afghanistan, which will contribute to further broadening and deepening of comprehensive co-operation between the two brotherly Islamic countries.
Earlier, Secretary Interior, Secretary Foreign Affairs and Secretary Defence briefed the participants of the meeting on internal security issues, foreign policy contours and defence-related matters. It was felt that the capacity of LEAs has to be further improved while the foreign relations should focus on developing economic linkages. The Prime Minister directed that the committee will meet once in each quarters of the year to deliberate on all facets of the national security as these are unabatedly under a constant flux.
The Prime Minister reiterated that we have the resolve and potential to safeguard our sovereignty and integrity of the State and to that end every Pakistani is ready to render highest sacrifice willingly. The meeting was attended by Defence Minister, Interior Minister, Finance Minister, Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee and the three Services Chiefs.