ISLAMABAD: Top military and civil authorities have met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss the rise in terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, officials told Dawn.
Members of the federal cabinet, four provincial chief ministers, and Chief of Army Staff Gen. Asim Munir will all be present at the apex committee’s meeting next week.
“This coming Monday or Tuesday is probably when the meeting will happen,” a top Prime Minister Office official informed Dawn.
The committee will receive an update on the state of security and the measures being taken to combat terrorism.
The PM asks the country to pray for rain.
According to data on recent terrorist attacks, militants have increased their impact and scope of operations, especially in KP and Balochistan. One hundred people were killed in 48 terrorist assaults that were recorded in 28 districts across four provinces in October.
The meeting, which KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur is also slated to attend, is also anticipated to cover the PTI’s request to stage a demonstration in the federal capital on November 24.
China’s concerns about attacks on its citizens in Pakistan are also anticipated to be taken into account by the apex committee.
Bilateral relations have been strained as a result of the attacks.
Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong voiced his displeasure with the attacks last month, calling them “unacceptable” and pleading with Islamabad to bolster security for Chinese citizens and take action against those who target them.
The spokeswoman for the foreign office described these comments as “perplexing.”
May the rain come.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Shehbaz urged everyone to offer prayers for rain, or Namaz-i-Istisqa.
The prime minister stated that Namaz-i-Istisqa should be held in mosques around the nation by the federal and provincial administrations.
He specifically called on academics and religious authorities to fulfill their part in planning the prayers. Rainfall will alleviate Punjab’s air problem, Mr. Sharif emphasized in a statement released by the PM Office press wing.
