Patience shown despite provocation by India: PM

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has demonstrated patience despite threats and provocation by arch-rival India, said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif while presiding over a meeting on Wednesday.The meeting was attended by Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif and some other key representatives of different institutions concerned with defence and security affairs.

The premier said that the world was a witness that Pakistan had given tremendous sacrifices for global peace. “Pakistan has shown unequalled and unprecedented restraint despite great provocation.” During the meeting, he said that Pakistan would continue to strive for a peaceful South Asia with a view to enable its people to march towards the 21st Century with progress and prosperity.

During the meeting, it was agreed that Pakistan was fully capable of meeting any internal or external security threat with the complete resolve of its people and gallant armed forces.

The premier reiterated that violence against Kashmiris for their right to self-determination, promised by the UNSC resolutions, would never be tolerated and the oppressed Kashmiris deserved not only Pakistan’s support but also the support of the entire world. “Pakistan will continue to extend its moral and diplomatic support to Kashmiris until the issue of Kashmir is resolved as per aspirations of Kashmiri people,” said the PM.

The prime minister said that the Indus Water Treaty was a mutually agreed arrangement between Pakistan and India brokered by the World Bank in 1960 and no one country could unilaterally separate itself from the treaty.

In its first formal and unison rejoinder to Indian saber-rattling and armed forces build-up by Indian extremist leaders in the wake of tension developed due to brutalities of Indian forces in the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK), the civilian and military leadership of Pakistan made it clear on Wednesday that the country’s valiant armed forces are fully prepared to thwart any aggression as the leadership is fully satisfied about the preparedness of the armed forces to defend the territorial integrity of Pakistan.

The announcement has come from the Primeinister’s House where a high echelonmeeting of the leadership of the two took place under Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who returned from his significant visit to the United Nations a day earlier in the late evening where he addressed the UN General Assembly summit session and had one-on-one meetings with 14 world leaders including Chinese Prime Minister Li.

The prime minister and army chief also had a brief one-on-one meeting. The huddle that continued for more than three hours and in the course participants were briefed about the threats and preparedness of the Armed Forces to meet any eventuality.

It has been officially stated that the meeting reviewed matters pertaining to national and regional security besides important developments with regard to the security. The participants expressed satisfaction over the preparedness of the armed forces to defend the territorial integrity of Pakistan.

The meeting was also attended by Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Minister for Finance Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, COAS General Raheel Sharif, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister  on Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi, National Security Advisor (NSA) to the Prime Minister General (R) Nasir Janjua, Secretary to the Prime Minister (SPM) Fawad Hasan Fawad, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Director General Intelligence Bureau (DGIB) Afzal Sultan, Director General Military Operations (DGMO), Major General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Major General Azhar Abbas (PS to COAS), senior civil and military officials.

DG Military Operations General Mirza reportedly briefed the meeting about the deployment of Indian forces and their potential. He also briefed about the counter arrangements made by Pakistan. The meeting expressed its deep concern on the increase in systematic human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir and condemned brutal use of force by Indian security forces.

The corps commanders also took stock of overall situation last week and expressed resolve to defend every inch of the motherland and its integrity by exercising full force. The sources said that the premier was briefed by the administration about the situation in and across the frontiers regularly during his absence from the country. More high level meetings on security under Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will take place in the days to come, the sources said.