To resolve political differences, NSC urges talks, not confrontation

ISLAMABAD: The National Security Committee (NSC) on Tuesday emphasised dialogue for solutions to political issues. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired the meeting which was also attended by the federal ministers, chairman joint chiefs of staff committee and services chiefs.

The NSC expressed the resolve to show a policy of zero tolerance to acts of violence by miscreants on May 9 and endorsed the decision to hold the trial of those involved in attacking sensitive installations and state buildings under the Army Act, Official Secrets Act and other concerned laws under the Constitution. The NSC meeting endorsed the decision that all the abettors, planners, facilitators and those directly involved in acts of arson, attacks on military installations and public buildings should be tried under the Army Act, Official Secret Act and other laws as the country’s Constitution.

Earlier on Monday, a Special Corps Commanders’ Conference with Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir in the chair had also expressed the resolve to hold the trial of abettors, planners and miscreants involved in attacks on military installations and public property under the Army Act and the Official Secret Act.

A statement issued by the Prime Minister House, later in the evening on Tuesday, said the NSC, while strongly condemning military installations' acts of arson for the sake of political motives and personal interests, declared to observe May 9 as ‘Black Day’ at the national level. The participants of the NSC meeting expressed complete solidarity and support for the Armed Forces. The meeting expressed the resolve that desecration and military installations and public property were intolerable and pledged to bring all the culprits to task.

The forum maintained that there would be no relaxation for those involved in attacks on military installations carried out under an agenda. The NSC meeting also directed for the implementation of rules and regulations for social media in order to tackle propaganda being unleashed against the country's institutions under external patronage and with the facilitation of internal facilitators, and those involved in such propaganda should be taken to task.

The meeting stressed the need of national unity and integrity in the wake of geostrategic situation, international political environment and policies of anti-state elements to destabilise the country. The NSC, however, emphasised on resolving all the political issues through dialogue as per democratic norms instead of indulging in confrontation.

Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressing the meeting said planners and abettors of the violent incidents of 9th of May should be brought to justice. He said the culprits should be taken to task to set an example so that no one can dare repeat such incidents in future. The prime minister said that he had directed that innocent people should not be touched but culprits involved in these heinous crimes should not be spared even if chief executive of the country seeks any leniency for them.

Shehbaz said these acts of vandalism are not less than terrorism which have brought shame to the entire nation.

He said goons of a political party attacked military installations, including the General Headquarters Rawalpindi, FC Camp in Quetta, and other public property.

He said these people inflicted harm on the country that the worst enemy of it could not even think of in 75 years.

The prime minister said that the NSC meeting expressed that the entire nation is standing behind their Armed Forces.