Rawalpindi: The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were the subject of “peace talks” that were considered in a high-level military meeting on Friday. It was decided to pursue the topic in accordance with “comprehensive security policy.” All three service chiefs — Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi, and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu — as well as ISI Director General Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum, Peshawar Corps Commander Lt Gen Faiz Hamid, and other senior officials attended the national security meeting, which was presided over by Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Nadeem Raza.
The meeting gave off the vibe of a Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee meeting, but it wasn’t. None of the secretaries of the ministries of defence and defence production, as well as the director general of the Strategic Plans Division, were present at the JCSC conference.
It was the first such gathering of all the military forces since the army’s negotiations with Afghan terrorists came to the attention of the public following briefings by the army’s senior brass to political figures and the Parliamentary Committee on National Security.
The meeting, according to the ISPR, “was given a full briefing on evaluation of national security situation pertaining to Western Border, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan.” The statement said, “Fast-paced developments in the field of conventional and strategic policies, the significance of peace in Afghanistan for long-term regional development, and the operational readiness of the armed forces were also discussed.”
According to the ISPR, the participants decided to react to “the entire spectrum of threats” in line with the “complete security policy.”
Evidently referring to the peace negotiations, it suggests that the tactic would go beyond the customary “kinetic strategy.”
At prior briefings, the military leadership had stated to the political leadership that it wished to give peace an opportunity but would use all available force if the TTP did not comply by any ultimate accord.
The gathering expressed its “total satisfaction” and “full trust” in the three services’ readiness.
While reiterating the military’s resolve to appropriately respond to threats, the participants, according to the ISPR, “lauded the sacrifices of security services in the battle against terrorism.”
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