Pakistan Friday reiterated that regional peace and progress is directly linked with the resolution of all outstanding issues including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir. A meeting of National Security Committee headed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and attended, among others, by top military leadership on Friday discussed the matters of national security and foreign policy.
The meeting appreciated the efforts of law-enforcement forces against extremists and terrorists and decided to take up with friendly countries the Indian spy agency RAW's involvement in Pakistan directly. The Prime Minister briefed the meeting about his talks with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani during his two-day visit to Tajikistan. A day after his return from Tajikistan, the Prime Minister convened the NSC meeting whose participants reiterated that regional peace and progress hinge on the resolution of all outstanding issues including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting reportedly decided that intelligence mechanism with Afghanistan would be improved and Pakistan would continue playing its role towards a peaceful Afghanistan.
Pakistan continues to work for peace and progress in Afghanistan through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process with the help of both regional and global partners, and will continue to strive for return of normalcy in Afghanistan at the earliest. This, however, the meeting maintained, requires simultaneous efforts by the Afghan government for restoring effective control over its territory. The meeting stated that Pakistan has acted as a frontline state in global counterterrorism efforts with unparalleled sacrifices and successes. The meeting noted that no other country in the world has done as much for global safety and security as Pakistan at a huge cost of both men and material.
The sacrifices of security forces and law enforcement agencies and the national resolve to fight the scourge of terrorism were acknowledged and appreciated during the meeting. The meeting was attended by Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif, Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman, National Security Advisor Lieutenant-General Nasser Khan Janjua (retd), Director General ISI Lieutenant-General Naveed Mukhtar and senior civil and military officials.