Sharif holds meetings with top civil and military leadership

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired two meetings of top civil and military leadership on the National Action Plan (NAP) and national security on Tuesday, with a special focus on the situation along the Line of Control (LoC) and the Kashmir issue.

Addressing the National Security Committee meeting, Nawaz Sharif said, "Pakistan does not cherish aggressive designs against any country or nation. We believe in peace and collective betterment."

"However, our quest for peace must not be mistaken as a sign of weakness. Our armed forces are fully capable of thwarting any kind of threat to our sovereignty and territorial integrity," the Dawn quoted him as saying.

The meeting reviewed the situation along the LoC and the operational preparedness of the armed forces.

"Pakistan cannot be cowed down with hollow rhetoric and aggressive posturing," the meeting resolved, adding that the nation stands united with its armed forces to ensure defence of the country at any cost.

The forum said that India should resolve the Kashmir issue for enduring regional peace instead of making 'futile efforts' to divert the world's attention through 'propaganda' and 'false claims' of surgical strikes, the statement said.

Participants of the meeting agreed that collective efforts at the national level and specific efforts at a provincial level were required to consolidate the gains made so far in NAP and move further in areas where progress had been unsatisfactory.

The meeting also agreed on a future course of action in terms of milestones and timelines for different components of the NAP.

Addressing the meeting, Prime Minister Sharif claimed there had been a significant improvement in security in Pakistan.

"We are fighting a war on terrorism and our fight against violent extremism as a national policy imperative," he said.

"The nation expects us to rid the society of these evils for all times and we will not fail them under any circumstances," he said.

Today's meeting comes a day after Sharif held an all party session with parliamentary leaders yesterday, to assess the ongoing tensions and security measures.

The statement issued after the meeting called for matters to speed up on the diplomatic front regarding the Kashmir issue.