Militancy may recur in Swat: defence secretary

ISLAMABAD: Secretary Ministry of Defence Lt Gen (retd) Alam Khattak on Monday told the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Defence that there existed chances of recurrence of militancy in Swat and stressed the need for the establishment of a cantonment in the valley.

The National Assembly’s Standing Committee discussed the National Command Authority (Amendment) Bill 2016 (Ordinance No. I of 2016) in detail and recommended the passage of the bill.

MNA Shaikh Rohale Asghar chaired the meeting of the NA body on defence held in Committee Room No.7, Parliament House, Islamabad.The committee also considered the report of the Sub Committee regarding the issue of land earmarked for the establishment of a military cantonment in Swat and adopted it with certain amendments.

The committee was also briefed on the arrest of an Indian spy in Balochistan and the current tension on the Pak Afghan border at Torkham. The committee was informed that the construction work on the gate at Torkham border had been restarted and will be completed very soon.

The meeting was also attended by Tahir Bashir Cheema, Isphanyar M Bhandara, Sardar Muhammad Shafqat Hayat Khan, Mir Dostain Domki, Lt Col (retd) Ghulam Rasul Sahi, Nawab Ali Wassan, Dr Shireen Mehrunnisa Mazari, Shafqat Mahmood, Sanjay Perwani, Ms Kishwer Zehra and Mahmood Khan Achakzai, MNAs, and officials of the ministry.