Pak to speed up efforts to neutralise hostile elements

Islamabad: Pakistan today decided to speed up its efforts to neutralise hostile elements and set up a high- level task force to monitor the progress on implementation of National Action Plan to eliminate terrorism from the country.

The decision was taken at a meeting of civil and military officials on the national security chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. It was the second such meeting in as many days.

The meeting took a strategic review of regional and internal security situation and also focused on the latest trends of activities of hostile intelligence agencies to destabilise Pakistan, Radio Pakistan reported.

"The participants agreed to scale up the existing efforts to neutralise hostile elements through a coordinated and focused effort," it said. It is worth mentioning that no agency or country has been named but usually hostile intelligence means spy agencies of India and Afghanistan.

The meeting also reaffirmed the national resolve to eliminate terrorism and extremism from the country.

It was decided to set up a high-level task force to monitor the progress on implementation of National Action Plan, comprising senior representatives of all concerned departments and agencies of the centre and the states.

Sharif directed that no effort be spared to ensure complete and effective implementation of the plan.

He underlined the need to take result oriented and time bound action, with a view to completely eliminate and eradicate the menace of terrorism from Pakistan.

The meeting reviewed various aspects of implementation of National Action Plan, adopted after Peshawar School attack to eliminate militancy from the country.

It stressed that intelligence agencies perform a vital role in guaranteeing national security and safeguarding national interest for which they will be provided all necessary resources and support.

Finance Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif, Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi, National Security Advisor Nasser Khan Janjua, ISI chief Lt. Gen. Rizwan Akhtar and other senior officials attended the meeting.